Dominica IFC Recruitment site.

Is the Island of Dominica right for you?

The Commonwealth of Dominica, also called Dominica is an island situated between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Dominica must not be confused with the Dominican Republic and is a relatively recent offshore financial centre. The government has implemented incentives towards the offshore financial industry and as a result Dominica presently possesses most of the main asset security features. The Commonwealth of Dominica is an independent sovereign jurisdiction and is not affected by UK and EU legislation. Dominica is already quickly emerging into a premier offshore financial centre in the Caribbean.

Population
The population of Dominica is approximately 79,000. Descendants of African slaves comprised the overwhelming majority of the population. Aside from Caribs, an estimated 3% of the population, there were no other significant ethnic clusters. The ethnic, racial, and cultural composition of the society in the 1980s reflected Carib, French, British, and African influences.

Political Structure
Dominica is a republic with a non-executive presidency and has been a parliamentary democracy since 1978. It has a unicameral House of Assembly with 30 members, 21 directly elected and nine senators appointed by the president, 5 on the advice of the prime minister, 4 on the advice of the leader of the opposition. Elections are held at least every five years, with universal suffrage for adults. The president is nominated by the prime minister and leader of the opposition and elected by the House of Assembly for not more than two terms of five years. The president may dismiss the prime minister in the event of a no-confidence vote in the House of Assembly. Individual rights are guaranteed under the constitution.

Infrastructure and Economy
Dominica 's economy is vulnerable with less than 25 per cent of the country being under cultivation. Its location exposes it to tropical storms and hurricanes, which have caused severe damage to the crops making up the country's economic base. The country is also vulnerable in its dependence on banana exports to the EU. Since the 1980s, successive governments have therefore introduced measures to diversify the economy, encouraging a shift from traditional crops (such as sugar, coffee and cocoa) to new crops (such as citrus, melons, pineapples and mangoes), and developing export-oriented small industries (notably garments and electronics assembly), taking advantage of such preferences as the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), which allows access to the US market. They have also encouraged development of tourism and especially eco-tourism. . The government also encouraged development of an offshore financial-services sector, including company and bank registration and internet gambling. Main imports are food and consumer goods, fuels, transport equipment, machinery and chemicals. Main trading partners for exports are Japan, the UK, Jamaica and the US, and for imports, Japan, the US, China, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Language
The official and spoken language is English.

Currency
Eastern Carribean dollar.

Exchange Control
There are no Foreign Exchange controls, and the US dollar circulates freely throughout the economy.

Law
Dominica's legal system is based upon English Common Law, with local modifications.

Disclaimer The materials contained on this web page are provided for general information only and do not constitute any form of legal definition or advice. IFC Recruitment assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any particular statement and accepts no liability for any loss or damage which may arise from reliance on the information contained on this site. References 1. Wikipedia profile: Dominica 2. CIA World Factbook entry: Dominica