ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC -The Dominica government Monday said that a multi-million Word Bank-funded housing project had been extended by 18 months, dismissing opposition suggestions that it had been recalled.
The US$40 million Housing Recovery Project is a direct response from the Dominica government to the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017. The project targets citizens whose homes were destroyed by Maria.
Housing Minister Melissa Skerrit, speaking during the debate on the EC$1.3 billion (One Ec dollar=US$0.37 cents) national budget, told legislators “ that the project is also being revamped to ensure greater transparency.
“Mr. Speaker, the much talked about World Bank Housing project, it is the World Bank Housing Recovery project …the naysayers sought to attack this project and misinformed the public about a premature end to this program.
“Mr. Speaker, over the past few months, we have fully embraced this reset, and so we have revamped this housing program with the full support of the World Bank, and it was a reset for more efficiency, more transparency.
“I am pleased to announce That I just got word last week from the World Bank that this program which was supposed to end in December of this year, has now been extended for an additional 18 months,” Skerrit said.
She said out of the targetted 420 homes, over 350 applications have been approved, and 282 contracts were awarded to local contractors.
“To date, 152 families have received their hurricane and earthquake resilient homes,” she said, announcing that the Saudi Arabia government will provide two million US dollars to construct a multi-purpose entertainment center in the capital.
She said the center would offer increased activities catering to a broad audience, including a bowling alley, miniature indoor golf course, dance, and movie theaters.
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