Dominica begins relocation of residents affected by international airport construction
The government has announced that residents affected by the construction of Dominica’s international airport project have begun settling in their new homes.
In a report by the Associated Times, the government of Dominica said that the Joe Burton Housing Development had provided thirty-seven (37) standalone housing units for the affected families in Wesley.
This project is overseen by MMC Development Ltd., a longstanding partner of the government of Dominica, on its ambition to provide climate-resilient infrastructure for its constituents.
Currently, the company is mandated to oversee all other government projects, including the island’s first international airport and the climate-resilient housing projects throughout the island. Healthcare and educational facilities are also being built under MMC Development Ltd.’s management.
The Joe Burton Housing Development has not only provided shelter to affected residents, but it has also generated jobs for over 200 people during the peak of its construction period, with local contractors and all other services provided exclusively by Dominicans.
The island’s Citizenship By Investment Programme funded the housing project completely.
“Agricultural squatters are being regularized in relocated areas which will give them greater security and encourage expansion of their farms, thereby facilitating higher production yields,” Dominica’s prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit said in a previous statement.
In September, Caribbean News Now reported that EC$40 million was used to acquire 500 acres of land and compensate over 260 property owners affected by the project.
Dominica aims to become the world’s first climate-resilient nation while also sustaining its reputation as one of the best tourist destinations in the Caribbean.
The island hopes to be more accessible to the world with its international airport, which is expected to be up and running by the end of 2026, a year later than the initial announcement of 2025.
The airport’s site is between Woodford Hill and Wesley villages on the island’s northeast coast.