The United Workers Party (UWP) in partnership with the Electoral Reform Coalition (ERC) has officially launched the Dominica Economic Revival Summit, a conference that aims to bring together experts, professionals as well as Dominicans both here and abroad to begin its planning process for sustainable development.
This was according to Political Leader of the UWP, Dr. Thomson Fontaine, while delivering remarks at the official launching ceremony which took place at the Garraway Hotel on Thursday.
The conference is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4, to Thursday, June 6, 2024, at the Jungle Bay Resort in Soufriere.
“Dominica’s economy and by extension its people suffered due to the lack of proper economic planning over the years,” he said. “Failure to plan for sustainable development while focusing exclusively on revenues from the CBI program have resulted in an overall lack of development, failure to create jobs, and the general poor state of the economy that we now see in Dominica.”
“This conference will pave the way for a way forward,” he noted. “We will begin on the evening of the 4 [June], with an opening ceremony and awards dinner.”
The dinner will cost EC$250, however, he said the conference will be free of charge for those who are willing to participate.
Dr. Fontaine mentioned that at the awards dinner nine outstanding Dominicans who have contributed to the country in an exceptional way in areas of agriculture, agro-processing, tourism, the knowledge industry, the blue industry, music, entertainment, sports, and culture will be awarded.
“All of these areas we believe are relevant areas for Dominica’s growth and prosperity into the future,” he said.
Dr. Fontaine continued, “Following this awards and official opening ceremony we will over the days of the 5, and 6, look more deeply in those same areas. We will be examining at length the agricultural sector, the manufacturing sector, the construction sector, and importantly the renewable energy sector as well as the knowledge industry.”
He added, “We believe that these are the areas that if properly harnessed can actually launch Dominica into the next level of development, and that will be our focus.”
He invites all of Dominica to attend the conference.
He revealed that an invitation will be extended to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, as well as the Minister for Finance, Dr. Irving McIntyre.
Dr. Fontaine went on to state that the conference will consist of formal presentations by the party’s experts, “but there will be an opportunity for interaction and discussion with participants, those who are present with us and those joining us outside [of] Dominica …”
Dr. Fontaine also made it clear that while the conference is being organized by the UWP and the ERC, it should not be viewed necessarily as a “political thing.”
“I believe you will all agree with me that the economy is everybody’s business,” he noted. “If our economy is prosperous and making money for everybody, everybody will be happy and satisfied, but if it is failing it impacts every single person.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Fontaine announced an upcoming entrepreneurial forum, “where we will focus on the hundreds of Dominicans who are already producing, who are already manufacturing…in order to give them more exposure and explore more avenues for them to be able to increase their sales regionally and upscale their businesses.”
Amen Labour power. Well look themsome papa in Dominica, is me they want to give their douleur my daughter French, with her Dominican, passport my money pay for those soucoyants want her to vote. I am a born Dominican, just because i am a Labourite you all try to run me. She did not vote cause I took her both passports, run Dominica, left her sans passport.
Cow patty! Only a fool relishes your nonsense.
Mr. Fontaine…this place is so corrupt….I know u want better for Dominican….but most love the pieces falling from the table…skerrit told them to wait….and they will get a house….to live free without rent…but is not theirs….skerrit has set a presidence hard to break….but we need a change…. I am more than fed-up with this team i votted many times…….u have my vote next election …he is almost like Chavez…
Are we to expect the people who got us into this economic mess to come up with the solutions to get us out? after 25years of mis management and the decimation of the Dominican economy, the Dominican spirit and values do you really think these people are of any use to the reconstruction.
There was never any $6 billion missing.Linton know he has a following who will accept ash Wednesday is on a Saturday,and they will accept it without question.Linton is the most uneducated man in UWP,and he is the only one who know the missing $6.4 billion is in a foreign bank in the name of MMCE,Anthony Haden and Skerrit.He say something is missing but he know where the missing thing is.Linton is like a carpenter lecturing a doctor on human biology.Pure madness.UWP will never win an election in Dominica,but Thompson Fontaine will embarrass Linton for as long as he can.The mighty Lennox Linton has been reduced to polishing Fontaine boots.The rise and fall of Lennox Linton,how the mighty has fallen.
Dr Fontaine welcome back.
Only your calibre can understand and decipher all the crooked IMF, World bank isht that have rendered us dependent on them to feed ourselves. That’s despite $80 million recently spent on agriculture and can only find a lime from Guadalupe and garlic from China to feed ourselves.
Strange! how comes the 6 billion dollar man is not at the table? Just asking!
@KID ON THE BLOCK
Are you drunk? Learn to make a sensible comment. Did you understand what you read?
Give the rum a break.
Soo lah!!!
Sorry, but I’m watching paint dry on that day.
Yes! The country needs a strategic economic plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. A strong economy will redound to the prosperity of most of the local inhabitants.
The problem that I have with these conferences is after the pomp and ceremony, the eloquent speeches, the discussions, too many times nothing changes for the average citizens. Their station remains the same or even deteriorates.
The organizers need not only to preach to the choir (attendees). They need to pound the pavement, go in the back alleys and dirt tracks, door to door throughout the various communities, and sell the ideas discussed at these conferences. Convince people that your plans for the country are workable and would make a positive difference in their lives.
Opposition gains power when the vast majority of the electors buy into its message and philosophy. This takes hard work by going to every nook and cranny of each constituency as a salesperson with a convincing message of hope.
You’re finally waking up and now realizes it takes boots on the ground with sound messaging to connect with the citizenry. People want to know how you’re going to make a difference in their lives before they will give you the opportunity to govern them.I’ve told you before that this silly DOOM and GLOOM message is not a winning strategy. I guess it’s never too late to wake up.
So this is not another talk shop wasting of time? Zor bon wee. All you good eh.How come they honoring people nuh? So things have been happening den. Cheweeppss tan.
More garbage economic forum. Nothing substantial will come out of this Economic mess. More garbage talk as usual. That is why the IMF rejected his as. long time ago. Fontaine is a failure and a loser.
Finally, the UWPwee is beginning to suggest that it cannot all be about fantasy beeleeyions, disinformation about corruption, and more and more daybah.
Of course, I am not optimistic for anything of substance to come from this discussion. The talk is a fundraiser, a pathetic attempt by Fontane to stabilize his position as Leader of the UWPWee (after the blass Linton hit him), and it will (as per the UWPwee norm) ignore facts about the current Dominican context.
The man was working in IMF his contract was not renewed.The man was treasurer of DASS,all Dominicans know what happened to the $25,700 us in DASS bank account and the land at Rosalie.With all his wizardry and PhD,the only job he could get was as a civil war observer in South Sudan,not even in America where he lived for years he could get a job.Now he is embasassing Ugly Lenny by having a conference at the Jungle Bay.The same Jungle Bay Ugly Lenny told Raphael do not build.He is hoping his president will not attend.With all his expertise de man do have a single business in Dominica,not even to make a tablet coco.You Thompson cannot even vote in Dominica,because according to Lennox Linton,vote where you live and you live in South Sudan.