Public Sector officials attend a training session on Infrastructure Asset Management System for Dominica

​Public Sector officials participated in a training session yesterday, on Developing a Risk-based Infrastructure Asset Management System for Dominica. The session was sponsored by the World Bank, as part of approved technical assistance to the Ministry of Public Works & Ports.
 
This area of intervention and capacity building was identified, following the passage of Tropical Storm Erika in August 2015, which resulted in total damages and losses of US$483 million, being the equivalent of 90% of Dominica’s Gross Domestic Product. The Transport Sector sustained the highest level of damages and losses (US$287.53 million) due to its exposure of assets in high risk areas.
 
The training is intended to help the relevant public sector officials to better manage existing infrastructure, by way of an asset management system to support reconstruction, continuously assess the condition of infrastructure, perform comprehensive vulnerability assessment of road networks to natural disasters, and prepare a multiyear investment prioritization plan.
 
The objectives of this technical assistance from the World Bank are to:

• Develop a systematic approach for the management and maintenance of infrastructure assets through long-term planning and optimal allocation of resources in order to manage climate risk in the most efficient and sustainable manner;
• Implement an effective asset management system in supporting the prioritization of reconstruction of damaged critical infrastructures following Tropical Storm Erika; and
• Garner consensus among stakeholders in a participatory manner on the key requirements for a sustainable risk-based asset management system that integrates natural disaster threats to the performance of road assets.
 
This workshop is said to be the first step towards the development of the Risk-based Infrastructure Asset Management System.