Dominica’s Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerritt, is calling on those who benefit directly from the Citizenship By Investment programmes operated in five OECS countries, to be vigorous in defending the programmes, especially in light of external and other threats.
Speaking at the opening of Caribbean Investment Summit 2025 at the AUA Conference Centre on Thursday, PM Skerritt was one of four prime ministers who participated in a panel discussion on the topic “Creating and Implementing the Vision”.
The Dominican leader underscored the immense importance that the CBI programme has been for the development of his country, noting that it has helped to reduce the country’s debt to GDP, establish an emergency fund as well as to build homes for nationals of the country.
However, PM Skerritt expressed his disappointment that at a time when these programmes are under attack from outside sources, it is only the governments that are heard defending these initiatives.
“It should not be left to the governments alone to be the ones extoling the virtues of the CBI programmes. We do not hear the agents or the developers, we do not her the private sectors who are benefitting directly from the CBI programmes,” he stated.
The Dominican leader voiced his concerns over the issue as he believes that the ‘silence’ from those who benefit may be interpreted negatively by others.
“Our silence gives people the impression that there is something untoward with these programmes. That’s why with our presence here today we are hoping that your conscience would be moved and we would have a paradigm shift in the way that we conduct ourselves on this because our silence is not helping the cause of our CBI programmes,” he declared.
PM Skerritt described the CBI programmes as beneficial, helpful, life-changing and important particularly in light of an ever-changing global environment.
