LONDON, Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 29th, 2021, the Commonwealth of Dominica held an opening ceremony for St Nicholas University School of Veterinary Studies. The President of the university, Dr Golnaz Naderkhani, is a Canadian doctor who moved to Dominica following Hurricane Maria. She spoke during the ceremony and underlined that unlike other medical schools that provide a branch for veterinary education, St Nicholas is entirely dedicated to providing training in that discipline.
Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Hon. Octavia Alfred also spoke at the opening ceremony and emphasised the celebration of the milestone. "For the government and people of Dominica, this presents an avenue to assist our young people who may be seeking advancement in this field to acquire a degree at home while opening up new opportunities for economic activities due to the presence of the university here," she stated.
Dominica has spent $26 million to sponsor its youth studying abroad; placed 169 extracurricular tutors for students that need them; and rehabilitated 15 schools damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Over the past few years, this has been happening with funding sourced entirely from Citizenship by Investment (CBI), a Programme that lets vetted global investors gain Dominica's citizenship after they make a financial contribution to the country.
According to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica's strategy on CBI funds expenditure focuses on investing in the public sector, including education, youth prospects and skillsets. During a webinar last year, he said "We use [CBI Funds] mainly for public sector investment programs, the building of schools, […] hospitals, health centres, roads, bridges, the education of […] our children, our youth."
Dominican locals and economic citizens benefit from high-quality education, modern healthcare, and visa-free and visa-on-arrival access to 75 percent of the world. This is one of the reasons why the CBI Index by FT's PWM magazine classes Dominica as the best country for citizenship by investment. Applicants can either make a one-off contribution to the Economic Diversification Fund or invest in pre-approved luxury and sustainable hotels and resorts. All must first pass Dominica's thorough due diligence checks. Citizenship can then be retained for life and passed on to future generations.
