Dr Roosevelt Skerrit: The Longest Serving Prime Minster of Dominica   

Dr Roosevelt Skerrit is the longest serving Prime minister of Dominica, who has been in power since January 8, 2004. He was Born on June 8, 1972, and is part of the Dominica Labour Party. Since February 2000, he has served as the representative for the Vieille Case constituency in Parliament. Skerrit has also served as the Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in July 2023, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.

Education

Skerrit studied in the United States after being born in the little community of Vieille Case. His undergraduate studies started at the University of New Mexico in Las Cruces, and in 1997 he received degrees in English and psychology at the University of Mississippi.

Political Career

After securing a position as a Member of Parliament for Vieille Case, Skerrit entered politics in 2000. Under Prime Minister Rosie Douglas, he served as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports before becoming the Minister of Education.

Skerrit has also served as the Minister of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Information Technology. During his tenure he has focused on initiatives including improving education, fostering regional integration, and fortifying Dominica’s financial systems.

When Pierre Charles passed away in 2004, Skerrit, then 31 years old, became the youngest prime minister of Dominica in history. With his political intellect, he became the most loved Prime Minister of Dominica and remained undefeated over a decade.

He quickly rose to the position of Dominica Labour Party’s Political Leader. He guided the party to an absolute majority in the May 2005 general elections, a success that was repeated in the 2009, 2014, and 2019 elections.

Policies and Accomplishments 

Skerrit has been a vocal advocate for more regional collaboration and economic stability in the Caribbean region. He helped prepare the eight-point stabilization program for the region as Chair of the OECS and CARICOM.

Dominica has remained on the verge of the natural calamity and was harshly impacted by Hurricane Marina in 2017 and Tropical Storm Erika in 2015. With this, Dominica lost over 100% of its infrastructure and lost the hope in the life.

Following his, PM Roosevelt Skerrit addressed the United Nations and vowed to make Dominica world’s first climate resilience nations.

His efforts following the 2017 disaster, became one of the most lauded among people of Caribbean. He aims to build a climate-resistant infrastructure and make Dominica the first climate resilient nation.

Under this, the climate resilient houses, roads, schools and hospital were constructed in Dominica.  In order to achieve these goals, his government is consistently working hard to provide its residents with new houses and facilities. The government recently distributed 60 houses over Christmas and many more are under construction which will be delivered in the coming year and deliver them to the underprivileged.

The government also pledged to construct 5000 homes that are climate resilient. So far, over 1500 homes were constructed in Dominica and donated to the beneficiaries of Hurricane Maria.

The Government of Dominica is also working over several other projects to enhance tourism in the nature isle. Besides this, several other projects are underway in Dominica to enhance the green energy and mitigate the impact of the carbon footprints.

Geothermal Power Plant is also under construction in Dominica, aiming to produce electricity with green methods. This is considered one of the major projects of the tenure of PM Roosevelt Skerrit.

Dominica is also working to reserve the endangered species of sperm whales. With this, PM Skerrit led government announced the “Sperm Whale Reserve” project for the first of its kind.

Besides this, the Roseau Cruise Village is also announced for Dominica to increase cruise tourism. These also include the development of Cabrits Marina, Roseau enhancement project and Cable Car.

In order to enhance the healthcare sector, Dominica constructed Marigot Hospital and twelve health and wellness centers across the different communities.

The government of Dominica also invested heavily in education sector under the leadership of PM Dr Roosevelt Skerrit. The schools have been modernized to become climate-resilient infrastructures with spacious classrooms, laboratories, multimedia room, theatre and recreational areas.

Schools such as Mahaut Primary and Dominica Grammar are under construction in the country.

Net Worth

Roosevelt Skerrit's wealth is not publicly known.

Salary and Earning Assets

As Prime Minister of Dominica, he receives an official yearly income of about EC$140,000.

Family Details

Skerrit is married to Melissa Skerrit, and both of them have two kids, Isabela and Dmitry. In addition, Skerrit is also father to Malik, his son from a past relationship.

Social Media 

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is active on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. He actively posts about his personal updates, and new advancements across the country.

Disclaimer: This profile of Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit is published by Associates Times. It is based on information available from official government sources, press statements, reputable news outlets, and verified public records. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, leadership roles and political developments can change over time. For corrections or updates, please contact us at contact@associatestimes.com or visit our Editorial Policy.