The proposed international airport to be constructed in Wesley is to be funded with CBI funds, and not with loans from the Chinese government. This was revealed by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit who confessed that China offered to help with the construction, but he turned down the request following some considerations of the terms and conditions.
“We are going to do this airport on our own and this is why we started to save some monies for the airport; and then the Chinese government indicated its willingness to assist us with a significant portion of the construction funds, but COVID-19 came about and like anywhere in the world, China has been impacted,” PM Skerrit said.
The prime minister stated that with the CBI funding, no taxes for the airport construction will be levied on Dominicans, and no concessionary loans will be obtained from any source that might impact the integrity of the airport and of the economy. He stated that since the DLP administration had always used CBI funding to construct housing schemes, health centers, and hospitals in the country, the same funding will also be applied to building the proposed airport.
Skerrit made it clear that the financial risks for constructing the airport actually lies with the developers, and that the government will be reimbursed through the finance instrument when the project is completed. He added that the government is also applying personal funds to pay compensations to landowners while the Chinese government has the opportunity to offer further help where needed.
Although Skerrit did not identify the designated developer for their airport project by name, the DLP administration has usually contracted the Montreal Management Consultants Company (MMCC) for the construction of housing, health facilities, and even roads in Dominica.
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