Last Updated on June 4, 2020, 8:16 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The World Bank, made the announced that it would be providing the Commonwealth of Dominica with a concessional loan of $13 million which will be used to improve the overall regional air connectivity and also to upgrade the airport infrastructure to accommodate for the diverted flights and other emergencies safely.
Dominica has been planning on building its first international airport and has been putting millions aside every month for this from the reputable Citizenship by Investment Programme.
Dominica is one of the four countries which would be benefiting from the World Bank‘s first financing of the Caribbean airport projects, along with St Lucia, Grenada and Haiti.
A World Bank press release cited said that in Dominica, the project aims at improving safety and airport resilience readiness to the natural disasters, and to strengthen the capacity of agencies handling air transportation operations and airport investment planning.
The navigation and the safety equipment would be improved, enabling the emergency landing in case of natural disasters and increasing capacity in air traffic control, wildlife management, airport management and planning.”
Tahseen Sayed, the World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean, outlines that these financing projects would also support the islands during the post-pandemic recovery stage. Moreover, Sayed believes that this enhances “the overall resilience of key connection points in the Eastern Caribbean“.
The institution further explains that the projects would enable the countries to accommodate better the emergency landings, diverted flights and post-disaster relief flights, and also improve the regional capacity and collaboration in the sector.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
