Growth and Social Protection Strategy (2014-2018) of Dominica

Sound fiscal policy and administrative reform, including creating an enabling environment for local private investment and the attraction of foreign direct investment.

Sectoral strategies for growth

Strategies for poverty reduction and social protection

1. Developing and Preserving our Human Resources (education and health)
2. Gender, Culture, Youth and Sports 
3. Environmental and Vulnerability Management
4. National Security
5. Immigration 
6. Public Sector Reform and the Environment for Business 
7. Diaspora

- Promotion of economic growth and job creation;
- Development of the skills and health conditions that will enable current and future households to achieve and maintain a sustainable and fulfilling life;
- Betterment of the conditions of those currently in severe poverty to help them achieve sustainable livelihoods through a combination of direct income support and other measures;
- Elimination or reduction of the potential causes of future impoverishment.

-Maintain immunization programme and distribution of primary health care facilities to assist in reduction of Communicable and Non- Communicable Diseases (CNCDs) and the reduction of infant mortality
-Implement HIV/AIDS/Teenage Pregnancy Awareness Programme
-Investigate feasibility of graduated health charges
-Maintain participation in OECS PPS
-Explore options for health financing

-Maintain Government pro-poor education assistance programmes
-Increase provision of vocational technical education in primary and secondary schools.
-Maintain funding of projects dealing with troubled children and dropouts.

-Keep under continuous review the criteria and level of public assistance.
-Ensure integrity of Dominica Social Security Initiate research into poverty and crime
-Continue implementation courses in life skills education
-Implement community empower programmes
-Initiate research.                                                                                                 

-Implement road maintenance schedules
-Monitor Squatter Regularization Programme/ Reduce vulnerability at squatter sites
-Implement housing and sanitation programme
-Ensure 100% access to potable water by 2015

-Implement public awareness on social assistance programmes
-Conduct workshops to create awareness of vulnerable groups

-Improve operation of child maintenance system
-Implement reform of legal framework related to children, welfare, family support and small claims
-Reform magistracy operations

Formulate strategies for addressing areas of environmental degradation

Government proposes to undertake major infrastructural works

-Provide an accessible road network;
-Get the road network into good condition;
-Maintain the road network in good condition.

-Increase the efficiency of its operations with a view to reducing costs to the business and residential communities, thus positively impacting the cost of doing business and cost of living. This will be done through modernization of cargo handling, including further computerization of its operations and working in collaboration with the Customs Division to reduce bureaucratic and dated administrative procedures.
-Take advantage of Dominica’s central location within the Caribbean chain of islands for purposes of trans-shipment and onward distribution of goods, thus increasing port revenues.
-Upgrade the physical infrastructure of the port, including the berthing piers to improve security of ships.
-Expand the port, in particular its storage facilities, and ensure adherence to safety and other relevant standards.
-Construct a cruise ship village with modern port and shopping facilities.

-Proactively negotiate with neighbouring island hubs – Puerto Rico, St Maarten, Antigua, Guadeloupe/ Martinique, St Lucia — connecting and interlining arrangements to facilitate passengers coming to Dominica. As these arrangements solidify, benefits of the new Melville Hall Airport will bring about additional spin-off benefits through increased hotel plants and employment in the sector;
-Ensure and maintain full technical readiness and documentation for ongoing night landing at Melville Hall by all carriers;
-Conclude construction and operationalising of complementary facilities;
-Continue to work to attract additional airlift to the island; and
-Ensure, through DASPA, that adequate arrangements are made for the proper maintenance and operations of the new Melville Hall Airport facility, and in this regard keep under review means of
ensuring the adequacy of financial arrangements.

-Continue working with strategic partners towards the commencement of commercial geothermal operations;
-Construct a commercial plant for purposes of servicing the domestic market in the first instance and to move towards a larger-scale operation for export of geothermal energy to the French islands.

-Universal coverage of the island through broadband connectivity;
-Utilising the universal service fund not only for improving remote access to telecoms services but also to provide funding for ICT-related projects of national importance leading to revenue and employment generation. Universal service must then include broadband access for the continued development and expansion of telecommunications services island-wide;
-Building on the improvement in the network that has been brought about through the installation of fibre optic networks;
-Engaging in public/private sector partnerships with telecommunications companies to expand the use of computers;
-Reducing the cost of telecoms services, including use of the existing local internet exchange point (DANIX), negotiating for reduced interconnection costs, introducing number portability and improving the availability of wireless access to all areas in the country.
 

-Achieve the goal of close to 100% access to potable water supply by the end of 2015;
-Continue to focus on upgrading the country’s water infrastructure as indicated in its draft Water Systems Development plan. Under this plan, DOWASCO has to date completed rehabilitation works between Canefield and St. Joseph as well as in Delices, Warner, Campbell, Penville, Vieille Case, Petite Savanne, Cocoyer, and on the West Coast (i.e. from Salisbury to Capuchin). Works will continue on the supply and treatment network of water Area 1, (which serves from Mero to Castle Comfort) and in Savanne- Scotts Head and commence in Belles/Penrice and on the East Coast;
-Continue the exploration of opportunities for exporting water regionally and internationally.

-Proactive promotion of sustainable growth and development of the sector;
-An enhanced enabling environment for investment in agriculture;
-Sustainable use of natural resources; and
-Improving food security.

-Maintain or enhance the biodiversity and ecological functioning of forests;
-Maintain or increase the area of land covered by forest; and
-Optimize the contribution of forest resources to livelihoods and to the economy.

-The establishment by Government of a policy on the commercialization of the sector in order to manage and operate fisheries complexes along viable lines and to stimulate entrepreneurship among stakeholders. The policy will allow for the establishment of public /private sector investment arrangements, which might require initial government subsidies or establishment of an easy access development fund that would allow the private sector entities to be responsible for the commercial ue  of the complexes and the associated developments, thereby enabling the Fisheries Division to concentrate on the management and regulation of the primary fisheries and improve the investment climate in the
sector.
-The development of offshore fishing capability by encouraging private sector investments in intermediate-sized fishing fleets by establishing an enabling environment for investment primarily in areas where artisanal fishermen do not operate. Growth and Social Protection Strategy: 2014 - 2018 31
-Upgrading the knowledge, skills and technology of fishers by ensuring minimum standards for entry into the industry and establishing an institution for the transfer of knowledge, technology and skills through a public sector led initiative;
-Encouraging greater involvement of women and youth in the operations of the sector.

-Government’s strategic objective for the tourism sector is to further the creation of a higher standard of living and well-being for the people of Dominica through the development of tourism on a sustainable level.

-Agreeing on a private sector strategy for facilitating development of manufacturing, including the creation of a business incubator service;
-Making funding available through domestic financial institutions, including the AID Bank and the National Bank of Dominica, for on-lending to potential borrowers in manufacturing, agro-industryand other sectors at concessional rates; 
-Making financial and technical assistance resources available through agencies such as the NDFD and Government’s Employment and Small Business Unit, to potential business persons at concessionary rates;
-Improving the operating environment from a policy and regulatory perspective, including the streamlining of business-related processes;
-Improving the competitiveness of its economic infrastructure, particularly in regard to transportation and electricity;
-Ensuring that the education system prepares individuals to make effective contributions to a modern, productive workforce;
-Assisting small firms with market research and intelligence through national and regional institutions;
-Intensifying its efforts at expanding key sub-sectors of ICT services, agri-business and light manufacturing; and
-Working with the private sector organizations towards improved and institutionalized relations with the Government.

-Improving people’s quality of life includes responding to their needs for adequate shelter, since housing is an essential component of quality of life.

In 2012, the Government announced its intention to form a new entity “Export Dominica” with the mandate of increasing exports and thereby creating employment, generating economic activity and reducing poverty. The pack house operations are expected to:
-Provide certifiable, efficient handling, packaging and storage facilities that will enable all produce handled by the operations to be fully compliant with the requirements in all markets; and
-Facilitate the implementation of the Fresh Produce Export Quality Control Act 2008.

-Continue prudentially to manage the country’s public finances, including public debt;
-Target and strive to achieve a primary surplus of 2.4 per cent of GDP. This has been Dominica’s pivotal fiscal indicator over the past six years and has served the country well;
-Continue striving towards achieving a debt-to-GDP ratio of 60 per cent by 2020; Growth and Social Protection Strategy: 2014 - 2018 71
-Begin as soon as possible to set aside a percentage of the country’s revenue for purposes of a national emergency fund;
-Provide a stable fiscal framework for the country as a basis for attracting investment and aiding attainment of the country’s growth objectives but taking into consideration the global economic situation and the fact that there will have to be some flexibility to deal with uncertainties that arise from factors external to Dominica.