Minister for the Environment, Rural Modernization and Kalinago Upliftment, Cozier Frederick has described the recent launch of the Kalinago Development Fund as a victory to the Kalinago people.
He was speaking as a guest on the most recent edition of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s Annou Pale Talk Show.
An amount of $860,000 has been disbursed to the Agricultural Industrial Development (AID) Bank to provide easier access to credit for people of Kalinago ancestry at a concessionary interest rate of 2%.
“Access for financing has always been an issue in the Kalinago space; it has been a struggle…,” he said. “It is a real victory for the Kalinago people.”
According to Frederick, the Kalinago people will finally have access to finance to enable them to develop their own enterprises.
He said the Kalinago people who have thus far reached out to him following the launch of the fund, have responded eagerly and positively.
“They want to see clarity on the use; they want to know what are the administrative procedures, what type of businesses they could go [into] and they are very excited, because this is the first time in the history of the Kalingo space that finance can be made readily available with almost no additional ties in terms of collateral,” he added.
The Salybia Constituency MP said the launch is the perfect solution for personal development, “because we in the Kalinago space realize that most of the interventions done over the years have been government interventions, so now we have the ability to have personal development.”
“It will also work in parallel with the government’s program and so this will help to make it more assertive and more progressive,” he noted.
He highlighted some of the most pressing needs of the Kalinago people the funds will address. He said these will include housing, business development, education, the expansion of homes and small renovations to existing structures.
“We will also see small and new enterprises and upgrading of established enterprises,” Frederick indicated. “Not only this, we do have other aspects including agriculture, fisheries, equipment and medical services…”
Meanwhile, the Minister revealed that the government is looking into having the Kalinago space organized as a World Heritage Site through The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) for its further development.
The development of the Kalinago Territory as a premiere tourism as well as the rebranding of its arts and craft and cultural heritage, are on the cards, for according to the Parlrep, although there are crafts available in outlets in and out of Roseau for the cruise ships, the plan is to make it a more viable industry.
Frederick said workshops will be organized with the AID Bank, the Ministry of Tourism and the small business enterprise division to ensure that there is continuous training.
Cozier man, what is that, you happy to take ration and wooden spoon for your people. Your standards are very low my boy.Skerrit treating you like a puppy.
Cozier, I meant to say ratoon and not ration , spellcheck does not speak patois and screw me up. sorry about that
Not everyone wants a loan for business or education. Some of us need to pay off our high interest existing loans but apparently AID Bank was instructed that debt consolidation isn’t an option. We want lower deductions, not more deductions.
When the Europeans tried to conquer Dominica the brave Indigenous (Kalinago) people bravely defended our country. Having suffered the indignation as second class citizens for so long, one would have expected that in this 21st Century our leaders would treat them with some respect and dignity. To continue to deal with these people like Christopher Columbus and the others did by waving (monitory) trinkets in their faces is “insulting” to say the least; they have suffered for far too long. They too must take some blame, it’s high time that they say to their (DLP) modern day Colonizers enough is enough “wheel and come again”
You IBO is posting about the $10,000,000 tell Dominicans who signed on behalf of the Kalinago people When they signed and where they signed.You that overeducated JACKA always want to hold DNO hostage.You want information,use your,lazy,lying corrupt brain to get it.The Kalinago people are not in the class of high level of stupidity,hence the reason why they will never vote UWP,a corrupt party that was kicked out of power for corruption .What happened to the $10,000,000 for the Kalinago water supply under UWP,we know the money for the Kalinago people was used to buy residential land in Mahaut.Shameless IBO.
You are one of the most prolific contributor to DNO even much more than me. But, all who read your posts are dumber after reading them. All one gets is cattle, smelly patties.
All your comments are insipid, empty, mind-boggling, nonsensical, malodorous, puerile and acrimonious.
They won’t have to go to the neighbouring village where they were being victimized,beaten,robbed and made to look like low class citizens.
The money will disappear soon just like the ten million the president of Venezuela gave to the people of the territory and nobody cannot give an account for it. Sticky fingers.
This guy is so dummm he sell his people for glasses of rum his the only one without a mask. The people of the territory heard u laugh when skerrit disrespected Mrs Stanford your turn is coming soon. The carifonas from Belize must be saying what a traitor u are .I have lots of friend from there when i told them i was from Dominica they said What Dominica i said yeap.
Start loving your country and stop playing politics. No one is perfect but if you are fair minded, you will admit that lots of good things have been done for Dominicans. Open your eyes and you will see.
I love my country, but I don’t like Skerrit, his cabal and his corruption. All your PM is NOT our country. Infact quite the opposite. When do all you Skerrit disciples get this in your hollow sculls?!
Mmm. You must have a registered business to qualify for a loan. How many ordinary Kalinago are registered business owners ? This makes for a nice headline though. Shame there is no follow-up journalism. This article reads more like a government press release. Given most of the government funding comes from CBI, how much of it is actually real ?
DNO, we have never gotten a clear and convincing explanation of what happened to the $10m Hugo Chavez gifted to the deprived, dispossessed, demoralized Kali ago people. Why not try to illicit the truth from a confidante in government.
Roosevelt ‘Ba-Rob-Us’ Skerrit now depositing a measly $800 600 on a bank for the many penniless Kalinago people to procure not a grant but a loan. But, the most egregious thing is that Minister Cozier Frederick wants to insult these hapless people’s intelligence, by telling them that they should be overcome with euphoria. Just a reminder, one man got $6m or 7m for himself to build a hotel. One man!
Despite all the wickedness Sjerrit has done to the people there are some who still hang on his skirt tail loyally. This make me think that even the devil has friends.