On 31 May 2016, Dr the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, met with Baroness Sandip Verma, the United Kingdom’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development, and with Colleen Wainwright, Head of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) Caribbean and Director of the Caribbean Development Bank.
The meeting focused on Dominica’s rebuilding efforts following the aftermath of Tropical Storm Erika, which damaged the country in August 2015. Other topics of mutual concern were also discussed. Tropical Storm Erika posed challenges to the Government of Dominica this year, as infrastructure and services were gradually reinstated. Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment Programme contributed to the island’s recovery, as funds from the Economic Diversification Fund (EDF) – to which applicants can choose to contribute in order to obtain citizenship – were used for road building and other key reconstruction measures.
Baroness Varma has held her role since 13 May 2015, and is a member of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords. Ms Wainwright has been both the Head of DFID Caribbean and the United Kingdom’s Director of the Caribbean Development Bank since September 2015.
