Status of the Waitukubuli trail Project

Roseau, Dominica – October 9, 2007……….. The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica is satisfied with the progress that has been made so far in the implementation of the Waitukubuli National Trail Project. (WNTP)

In response to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rulings on the EU banana regime and in recognition of the importance of developing and promoting a more diversified tourism product, the Government of Dominica made a decision in 2004 to commit resources from the European Union funding instrument, the Special Framework of Assistance (SFA) for tourism development, specifically the construction and development of the Waitukubuli National Trail.

The concept of the trail was developed by the Waitukubuli Ecological Foundation. The British Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) funded a feasibility study on the proposed trail. The study concluded: “The construction of a National Trail is both desirable and feasible with the potential to contribute significantly to the social, economic and cultural development of Dominica and to the management of the country’s assets.”

The concept was further assessed and conceptualised in a number of feasibility studies looking at similar initiatives, institutional arrangements, environmental, marketing, social, cultural and economic issues, sustainability, community involvement and trail infrastructure and supportive structures.

In 2004, the Government of Dominica allocated and obtained Euro 4.4 million ($EC14.9 million) from its envelope of funds for SFA2003 for the construction of the Waitukubuli National Trail. The project seeks to facilitate the utilization of the natural resource base while at the same time raising awareness among citizens and visitors alike of the need to maintain and enhance this valuable resource.

In December 2004, the Government of Dominica entered into a contractual arrangement with LIN Consultancy Services to undertake a design study for the Waitukubuli National Trail. The study was financed from Government’s Stabex resources for 1995.

In 2006, the Office of the National Authorising Officer to the European Development Fund, in Roseau issued a Notice of Call for Proposals with respect to the award of a contract to develop and manage the Waitukubuli National Trail. The deadline for the submission of proposals was Friday, July 28, 2006. An information session on this Call for Proposals was held on Friday, May 19, 2006 with officials at the Office of the National Authorising Officer.

To be eligible, applicants had to satisfy important criteria, such as :

• Be legal persons;

• Be non-profit-making;

• Be non-governmental organisations, public sector operators, local authorities, international (inter-governmental) institutions as defined by Article 43 of the Implementing rules to the EC Financial Regulation;

• Be nationals of a Member State of the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States.

Two bids were examined and evaluated by the Office of the National Authorising Officer (Contracting Authority) with the assistance of two external assessors contracted by the European Commission.

One was from the Ministry of Agriculture of Dominica and its partner the Regional Council of Martinique and the other from the Waitukubuli Ecological Foundation. The bids were evaluated in accordance with evaluation criteria designed by the European Commission and widely circulated via the internet. As required by the procurement rules, the evaluators signed “declarations of impartiality and confidentiality”.

In December, 2006 the bid of the Ministry of Agriculture of Dominica (Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division) and its partner, the Regional Council of Martinique was selected by the European Commission(Delegation in Barbados) to undertake the construction and management of the Trail. This followed the recommendation of the evaluation committee and the opinion of the two external assessors recruited by the European Commission.

On August 1, 2007 a Programme Management Unit (PMU) was established by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment to implement the project. To date a Programme Manager, a Site Coordinator and a Financial and Procurement Assistant have been appointed. In the course of the next few weeks additional personnel will be employed.

The offices of the PMU are located on the top floor of Government Headquarters in Roseau.

A Steering Committee has been appointed by the Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Dominica to oversee and provide policy guidance to the Programme Management Unit.

The Steering Committee comprises representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment; the Ministry of Public Works and Public Utilities; the Office of the National Authorising Officer to the European Development Fund; the Waitukubuli Ecological Foundation; the Ministry of Finance and Planning; the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Private Sector Relations; Local Government, the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association (DHTA) and an historian.

Over the next few months a number of activities will be undertaken. These include Infrastructure Development; Marketing; Public Awareness; Education and Training and Project and Trail Management. Central to the vision of the National Trail is the strengthening of the organisational capacity of NGOs and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) to enable their active participation in the planning and sustainable management of the Trail.

It is expected to provide opportunities for those organisations to be engaged not only in the development and construction of the trail and traditional tourism service- guiding , accommodation etc but to encourage the development of new services and enterprises in the fields of agro-tourism, culture and heritage tourism.

The WNTP is a long distance trail estimated at 184 km or 115 miles which is expected to traverse the island in a north-south direction. The trail and ancillary services will be established by linking existing trails/defining new trails and eco-tourist sites while integrating local communities and community organisations in the operation of the trail.

It is expected to feature the natural, historic and cultural variety of the Dominican landscape by integrating along the route varying physical landscapes/terrain, flora/fauna, historical/heritage sites and rural communities.

The Government remains confident that the objective of the Waitukubuli National Trail project will be met: that is the establishment of a defined and holistic tourism product which meets international standards and is capable of attracting increased tourism arrivals and increasing community-based expenditure.

The trail will be divided into fourteen (14) segments and is expected to take about three years to complete.