I usually write about women but today I’ll take a little break to write about a serious issue plaguing our country: unemployment.
When is the government going to consider and push forward some serious investment into the country?
I am not talking about giving the Bellots, the Nassiefs, the Chinese, the Astaphans, the power, authority, incentive and money to start a new business. I am talking about some real investors like the hotel chains, Sandals, for example.
When is the government gonna get serious about sourcing long-term sustainable investment that can create long-term sustainable jobs for our people?
The country is in a crisis because there are hardly any jobs available for young people.
Believe it or not everyone has become a hustler, especially the youngsters leaving high school and college. Many are sitting home, getting bored, restless, frustrated, stressed out. Many have given up and have gone into illegal hustling.
What is the purpose of the Investment Authority? To empower the same set of local people who continue to own most of the businesses here? The same set of people who support your party? The same set of people who tell you which investor to bring in and which one not to? The same set of people who will use their power of owning multiple businesses and victimise and sabotage other local businessmen and strangle them economically?
Mr. Skerrit create a serious investment group who will go out and seek investors who will inject some serious US and Euros into Dominica, to build hotels, restaurants, and manufacturing businesses.
Nothing is wrong empowering your people but what’s the sense borrowing money to empower your people when you can get people who already have money to invest it in the country? That’s an increase in revenue and not an increase in debt!
Dominica needs sustainable development. Building of roads, bridges, sea walls, fences, cutting grass, laying asphalt, and renting rooms and giving stipends do not provide sustainable income and jobs.
We need serious development from serious investors.
The truth is none of the political parties addressed this issue seriously. We heard one party talking about a 200-million-dollar investment over five years. But where do you think this 200M would be coming from? It has to be from borrowing.
None of the parties are serious about bringing investors. Other countries are heading out on missions to attract investors. Why can’t we do that? Why are we allowing an elite few to run the affairs of our country? To tell us who should come here and who should not come here, simply to benefit their pockets?
The days of slavery are long over, but we still have this slavery mentality where we suck up to others.
Anyway Mr. Skerrit, I am sure you understand English: go get some long-term investment. Grants alone cannot feed the population.
We need employment! Bye!
Nice Guy is written by an A-Hole so don’t take him on. He has woman issues and would like some help (writing is his therapy). He is also seeking a Nice Girl to compliment his column. He can be reached at [email protected].
Mr. Nice Guy I am so very proud of you this is real nice…. A change from the BS you’ve been writing and it makes complete sense! Keep up the good work!
I appreciate your thoughts Winston Warrington
The President should declare this new decade to ‘Home-Coming’ and give incentives so that the Diaspora can return and invest in their beloved country. Why do we always have to depend on outsiders? I honestly think many would return, however I don’t think Dominica has found it’s groove/strong suit yet so there is a need for those with a vision.
“PLease winston”, I am not pessimistic. Dominicans have to start the job and others will help with the tools. Antigua has been a tourist haven since the 18th century, having been recognized as a desirable port by the Portuguese and English. I have invested in Dominica, so don’t hold me responsible for my island being the way it is.
Many people think the problem is topographic; it is not. And if you travel to see the mountainous regions where modern cities and flourishing enterprises exist you would be left in awe at the lameness of such an excuse. It starts with people who are determined, curious and sensitive enough to find out what sells. No body keeps down Dominica but Dominicans who are waiting for someone like Sanford to pour money into a system that is ill-prepared.
In choosing where we wish to concentrate our efforts economically, we must be aware of the competition or the limited expected return on investment. So we are an eco-tourist destination. Do you think we can provide enough jobs through that economic orientation? Ecotourism is a complementary revenue source and we should recognize it as such. In my view, we can’t be calling for investors until the infrastructure shows up. I speak from a position of experience dealing with investors as a former board member of a government institution and as a consultant.
Winston warrington; you are absolutely right, the government should be much more pro-active in promoting tthose initiative…
Excuse me. Can someone tell me where is Dominica?
its people like u have dominica the way it is. so pessimistic. so we should stay there and do try to bring in any investment because of the cons? wow…. one major investment can make a difference. wat wil happen if and when the call centres and ross pull out or shut down tomorrow? sanford left antigu high and dry but there are still many other investors that employ thousands of dominicans…
Please understand what investors do. They spend their money in what is perceived to be a viable venture in the hope that the returns will far exceed the capital outlay. We can’t be crying about investment without specifying the areas to be exploited.
Build hotels – to provide employment
We have not exceeded 58% occupancy for years with less than 1000 rooms, how do we plan to utilize further hotel development – marketing? Maybe, but our facilities should be marketing regionally first. Antiguans and St Lucians spend more on a weekend trip to Dominica than Americans and Europeans, yet we make little effort to encourage visits from our neighbors, not even offering Caricom rates. Hoteliers have no training in entertaining their guests, offering no keepsakes nor incentives to return . No music , no comedy, no nightlife, no flower gardens in the nature isle; and nothing for children to do.
Light industries – infra-structure
Utility rates are too high for competitive production. Absolutely no consideration has been given to development of ports in the North where transportation costs could be minimized and labor supply is adequate. Without adequate infra-structure, investors make unfair demands from government in the form of lengthy tax concessions, low percentage corporate participation and allowance for profit repatriation.
Agro-processing – red tape
Visit the supermarkets in North America and you will find Caribbean products that are not available in the Roseau market. I was shocked to find bread-nut in Philadelphia. Anything you can think of that is produced in Dominica is being packaged and shipped out from Jamaica,Dominican Republic, The Philippines and Indonesia, from precooked dasheen to coconut water. We are late; and very late because of an entrenched colonial bureaucracy that impedes rather than facilitates innovative projects.
In the end, the investor wants to use your resources to his advantage and you must prove that you have something to offer that he needs. In most major cities, this is handled by the Chamber of Commerce, but in Dominica, government officials with little experience dealing with foreigners easily fall prey to people of questionable reputation. Many people keep talking about Sunday Island and other hotels promised by outsiders who have no individual funds. Government is sometimes browbeaten into granting of licenses which when secured with an option on local property can be resold to another partner in crime. Consequently, nothing gets built and the thieves laugh all the way to the bank.
nice guy i beg to differ with you. we do not need hotel chains in da. you are talkin about the same old same ald. if you are going to talk investment talk investment not what everybody else is doing. hotel chains take money out of your country while locally owned hotels keep money in circulation in the country. i say we need to make fund available to promote more small businesses
Dominica is not where it should be because of its people, when ever something comes around the people always protest about it, the investors will not put up with this, they are not coming to bring in money for people to degraded them like we do, we need to relook at the things we write, say or do to people who are trying to come in and invest in our country.
I dunno why when my mother make me she doh give me an ‘important’ surname…..in Dominica you can go university and educate yourself, be willing to be an entrepreneur but nobody seems to want to take your seriously unless you have the right surname or you properly affiliated…..or kissin de right a**, Its time for that to change, we want graduate in every household but then they are forced to migrate because at the end of the day once you born poor here is either you put yourself in politics or end up in illegal dealings to start a business………
MY FRIENDS
DO NOT EXPECT INVESTORS TO RUSH TO D/A !!!
AS LONG AS D/A MAINTAINS A TIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VENEZUELAN DICTATOR CHAVEZ AND THE ALBA ORGANISATION, PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TO BE COMPLETLY MAD TO INVEST A SINGLE DOLLAR IN THE COUNTRY.
JUST LOOK AT WHAT IS GOING ON IN VENEZUELA, WHERE CHAVEZ IS NATIONALIZING EVERY BUSINESS ; INVESTORS LOOSE EVERYTHING IN ONE DAY !!!
VENEZUELAN ECONOMY DECLINES EVERYDAY BECAUSE OF CHAVEZ POLITIC ; D/A HAS CHOOSE THE WRONG PARTNER AND SHOULD HAVE TURN ITSELF TOWARDS OBAMA AND EUROPE INSTEAD.
GGF
Dont panic man! Please be patient with the state, jobs will be delivered as said. Plenty Jobs where folks will be making lots of money
GOOD ONE NICE GUY. SO TRUE!!
The close relationship between Skerrit and Chavez isn’t helping either because investors are watching how Chavez keeps seizing businesses in Venezuela, it’s human nature to link things you know.
Well put nice Guy….well put!! Just hope the ones who can actually lead us in that direction will listen and take action.
How do the taxes and customs duties in Dominica compare with those on other islands? Is Dominica modelling itself on an island that has succeeded in attracting investors? If so, which island and what are the steps taken so far and what are the next steps to be taken?
Dose anyone know what has been done wrongly in previous attempts to attract investors? Has anyone any idea of what should be done to attract investors?
I took someone to the financial building in 2008 to enquire about economical citizenship and he was told he would have to pay $100,000.00 US dollars. This is the same amount you would have to pay in Australia. Dominica dose not have the infrastructure or level of business or customers to warrant this high value. The gentleman laughed and changed his mind.
@ Deecee: Brillianlty put. 100% in agreement with your sentiments.
To attract investors and stimulate the economy suspend customs duties for 6 months and then evaluate how things are. The import fees are a deterent to any business and cause the sustenance of high prices. They do not make it easy for anyone to invest in this country and it is not easily accessible in terms of traveling here, which is expensive in comparison to other islands.
Also, getting anything accomplished here takes a lot of time and investigation.
Nice guy; My sentiments indeed, but are the powers that be are they listening? I doubt it..
Productivity is a foreign word not to be used in the local language at any serious time. The word is replaced with… Chavez, Hsui, Tung, China and whatever country willing to give for a price, or any passport dealer that is out there. Has anyone checked the banana news on the web lately or are we aware of the move to lower the franchise on South America bananas from Dec 15th last year 2009? This could mean terrible times for our bananas and our economy coming soon. Are our people being educated on these things or do they care? My guess is as long as their party is in power and they can jeer at those whose party lost, nothing else matters. Dominica life is always divided and dominated between those who won and those who are on the hunt to destabilise the winner and God given useful talent is therefore ignored for party political reasons and Mediocrity and its sister Corruption triumph.
When mediocrity and its sister triumph productivity suffers mortally. In such a case those who ‘have’ are easily able to manipulate themselves into power positions over the ‘have nots’ by simply being first to hypocritically bow at the altar of a naive government anxious to grab onto them for any kind of respectable front so as to continue to freely reap and prosper. It is a situation where goodness becomes crime and criminality is covered with a new type of virtue. The new popular “VIRTUE” nowadays is ..”Well all of them corrupt so forget corruption as an issue.” By the way it was the same road taken by the Papa Doc and Baby Doc …. How did we come this far down and how do we make our way back?
Investors and others do not know that there is a country called DOMINICA.
The country needs to be Advertised .. Publicised…
Too many times when am traveling the question is asked, Where are you from?
DOMINICA!!!
Response: Oh DOMINICAN REPUBLIC?
I would say no..no. Its close to St. Lucia.. Barbados..Trinidad. Antigua..
Response: We haven’t heard or known of any island called DOMINICA.
Sometimes, I feel bad about that. I try to take the opportunity to talk about the beauty of our island.
The reason I sometimes use the names of the islands mentioned, because they
are most popular advertised on American Tv Stations,so they are well known.
The Govt. .. Ambassadors need to let the outside world know we are existing
and we need them to visit us. This will help to start eliviate some of the unemployment problem.
The Hotels and Business places need to start advertise Dominican products on
tv. stations too.
I totally agree. Right now there are too many barriers to investors. With our limited air access, it costs twice as much to get to Dominica than any other island. It’s actually cheaper to fly to St. Lucia and take the ferry the rest of the way.
And if an investor does manage to get here, he will be running all over Roseau trying to get his documents in order, registering in one building then making his was across town to pay fees. It’s almost like we don’t want anyone to invest here.
In addition to seeking sustainable investors for Dominica shores, I strongly believe that greater efforts should be directed towards helping young people (and citizens at large) become entrepreneurs. Provide the education and some start up financial incentive. The idea of Wealth creation and investing in assets should be drilled into children’s mind as early as possible. One of the world’s most successful economic idea (The internet) is driven by young people mainly. Children should be made to realize that the idea of delayed gratification is essential for achieving success in life, especially when one has been born into a family of little. Dominica’s youth are moving away from the idea of living within their means and this is placing a lot of strain on parents. If we all as Dominicans approach life from the standpoint that we are going to get involve in a business venture that will make our life and at least one other Dominican’s life better, then the ripple effect will produce sustainable development in the next 20 to 30 yrs.
Dominica will remain the true gem of the world if it’s people are able to provide for themselves continuously. THE END DEPENDS ON THE BEGINNING. If we want to be successful as a people then it needs to begin with us all teaching the children to think SUCCESS AND SELF SUSTAINANCE.
I will continue to work towards making a positive contribution to my beloved Da always thinking sustainable development every step of the way. We need to create a long term plan for our country and stick to it irrespective of political administration that may come and go.
……
Just to add to the article… Dominica must always be placed first at all times. If we are to move forward and benefit everyone of us Dominica must be place first. This way the country moves ahead and not just the Astaphans or Nassiefs….When we attract foreign investors we must ensure that they partner with a local person. Therefore, Dominica’s interest is kept and maintained within the organization.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
Nice Guy. Two thumbs up.
We spoil already with our red clinic mr. nice guy. You too late padna.