Santo Domingo. – President Luis Abinader announced that the tender in a public-private alliance of the new National Railway System will be launched next July, starting in its first stage the Metropolitan Train of Greater Santo Domingo, which will go from the Metro station of the Kennedy with the Máximo Gómez, up to the Charles de Gaulle in a first section, and then in an extension to the International Airport of Las Américas.

The president informed that the beginning of the works of this transcendental project is scheduled for the first quarter of next year.

“We want to connect all the poles of the country and generate new ones. We are creating a new geography of opportunities for all Dominicans, from Pedernales to Miches, stopping in the heart of the island, to turn Santiago into a modern metropolis and connect it in half an hour with the Bergantín project in Puerto Plata and the development industrial, logistics and energy of Manzanillo”, he said.

Likewise, President Abinader highlighted that Foreign Direct Investment increased by more than 25.5% compared to the previous year, reaching an unprecedented figure in the Dominican Republic, of more than 4 billion dollars.

“And it should also be noted that the United States of America is, to this day, our main partner in terms of Foreign Direct Investment, with the capture of 8,458 million dollars from 2010 to June 2022”, highlighted the ruler.

Speaking as a guest speaker at the Business Future of Americas (BFA) Conference and the centenary celebration of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR), Abinader affirmed that the economic growth experienced by the country has been achieved with much effort; proposing and executing actions that have led to incontestable numbers.

He cited as an example of these, those reflected in 2022, when the country’s Gross Domestic Product reached a notable annual growth of 4.9%, higher than the average for Latin America.

“We are one of the countries in the region with the greatest economic stability, which places us in the target inflation target range, which is set at 4% +-1. As of May of this year, annualized inflation is at 4.43%, that is, within the target range established by the monetary authorities”, he stated.

He explained that this places the Dominican Republic among the countries with the highest global economic growth in 2022 and consolidates the economy as one of the most dynamic in Latin America.

He also pointed out that last year the country closed with the highest level of international currency reserves in history, with 14,436 million dollars and a currency appreciation of 2% according to data from the Central Bank.

He revealed that, for the first time, more than 7 million tourists by air and 1.3 million cruise passengers arrived in the Dominican Republic; that is, 8 and a half million visitors, 13% more than in the period before the pandemic.

“All this comes to demonstrate the great confidence of foreign investors in our economy,” Abinader said.

American Chamber of Commerce in the DR is a great ally

The president stated that the American Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic has always been a great ally for our nation, since it has been able to add value to the relations between both nations, betting on national production, foreign investment and the promotion of exports of our products; which, without a doubt, has contributed enormously to the positioning of the country in the world.

Similarly, he said that Business Future of the Americas also represents a great opportunity to establish contacts and strengthen ties with public and private leadership throughout the hemisphere. This is undoubtedly one of its great strengths.

DR enjoys a more robust regulatory framework

Referring to governance issues, the Head of State indicated that the Dominican Republic enjoys a more robust regulatory framework, which has been strengthened to provide greater legal certainty and reduce bureaucracy, such as the creation of the Single Investment Window.

In addition, he explained, by decree, we articulated the Investment Promotion Cabinet, made up of the strategic institutions that have the greatest impact on the promotion and attraction of investments.

“If we talk about the Industry sector, we can agree that it plays a fundamental role in all the processes that occur for the modernization and development of countries. And the Dominican Republic is no exception, ”he said.

In this sense, he considered that the free zones constitute one of the productive activities with the greatest impact in terms of employment in the country, contributing more than 192,000 direct jobs in the last year and showing a growth in exports of 9% to beginning of this 2023.

“The economic, political and social stability of our country has made local and foreign investors place their trust and decide to invest in the Dominican Republic. And this is the real development, ”he stated.

The president pointed out that it is no coincidence that the Dominican Republic is ranked number 80 in the world ranking in the Human Development category, out of a list of 191 countries, and that in recent years it is one of the few nations in the world who have climbed the ranks.

“This is due to the commitment that we have from the Government to make the life of Dominicans more dignified, together with the balance of providing spaces for national and foreign investment for production, manufacturing and tourism, thus generating an important movement of capital human resources and quality jobs for citizens,” he said.

He emphasized that investors attest to the special characteristics that make the country an attractive destination and one of them is, without a doubt, its privileged geographical location.

“Our connectivity is so great that we have the most connected airport in the Caribbean, as well as a port infrastructure that places us in the third place with the best maritime connectivity in the entire region,” he highlighted.

Roads that approach the metropolitan region

President Abinader stressed that in the south of the country, linked to the Pedernales development project, they have invested in important roads that have brought that area closer to the metropolitan region, with projects such as the Azua beltway, already completed, and the Baní beltway, under construction, in addition to the Enriquillo-Pedernales highway.

In connection with the port of Manzanillo, whose work will begin in July of this year, he specified, the Government has carried out important connectivity works for the entire region, such as the inauguration of the Montecristi-Copey-Dajabón highway, and in completion phase of the Guayubín-Mata de Santa Cruz-Copey and Santiago Rodríguez – Martín García-Guayubín roads.

In addition to this, he said that they will also connect the two most important ports in the country: the Caucedo multimodal with the Haina Oriental, through the extension of the Ecological avenue.

“And in compliance with the commitment we made, last month we began the competitive process for the construction of the Autopista del Ámbar. This modern 32-kilometer highway will connect Santiago and Puerto Plata in less than 30 minutes, and will include, in a single circuit, the Autopista del Ámbar with the Circunvalación Norte de Santiago highway and with the Punta Bergantín tourist real estate development project in Puerto Plata », he reported.

In addition, he highlighted, we are in the midst of the expansion and modernization project of the Duarte highway, replacing irregular junctions with safer operational returns, as well as integration and incorporation lanes at the various junctions, milling, asphalting, and lighting and correct signage throughout the its extension, to improve its road safety indices.

The Head of State said that, on this highway, they are also rebuilding more than 400 kilometers of its entire transversal and longitudinal drainage system.

“But this government has also made an enormous effort to expand our mass transportation network, with works as important as the Los Alcarrizos Cable Car already in operation, or the Santiago Cable Car and monorail that are under construction, or Line 2. -C of the Metro, from Los Alcarrizos to Kilometer 9”, he guaranteed.

Some doubted projects to modernize the country

He stated that some questioned his modernization projects in the Dominican Republic and said that they were unrealizable.

“When I talked about the Pedernales-Cabo Rojo Development Plan, there were doubts. When I spoke about the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, which includes the development of the Los Alcarrizos Cable Car, the Monorail and the Santiago Cable Car, as well as the extension of Line 2C of the Santo Domingo Metro, it was also thought to be too ambitious to achieve it in record time,” he said.

However, he explained, today they can verify that the Los Alcarrizos Cable Car is already in operation and that the other projects have a very satisfactory level of progress.

The president pointed out that, aware that all countries are submerged in an accelerated race for digital transformation, his government immediately began the creation of the Digital Transformation Cabinet, with the responsibility of preparing the 2030 Digital Agenda.

“We were very clear that it was impossible to achieve a solid country strategy without the support and participation of the private sector. That is why we permanently established the digital transformation work table between the Dominican Government and the American Chamber of Commerce and its ICT Committee ”, he explained.

In particular, he said, with the support of AMCHAMDR, we have helped with our Agenda to improve our government service, first of all increasing transparency, facilitating communication and service channels with citizens and promoting public innovation.

Results to show

He assured that evidence of collaborative work between the public and private sectors is that they have many results to show, such as that the Digital Agenda of the Dominican Republic won first place in the 2022 World Summit on the Information Society awards. and according to the 2021 Global Cybersecurity Index published by the ITU, the country now ranks #66 in the world, advancing 26 positions in a single year.

In the same way, he said that the National Cyber ​​Security Index of the Governance Academy of Estonia, reported in January of this year an advance of 30 positions in our country, going from place 58 to 28, and today the Dominican Republic is number 1 in Latin America. in terms of level of preparation to prevent and manage cyber incidents, according to that study.

Digital television transmission will begin soon

Likewise, he highlighted, the allocation of radio spectrum frequencies to provide the 5G telephony service has already begun, which has already begun to be offered by the country’s telecommunications companies, and the transmission of digital television, long overdue, will soon begin. and that this government effort will finally come true and broadband connectivity will be brought to 90 communities that currently do not have coverage.

“For this reason, I encourage you to continue implementing the 2030 Digital Agenda together, because this will result in achieving a more competitive, fairer, more equitable, more inclusive nation; where the population takes advantage of new technologies to improve their quality of life, the State is focused on the citizens and organizations do the same to improve their productivity and competitiveness”, exalted the ruler.

At present, he affirmed, they are preparing a future-proof Dominican Republic and he maintained that the country is a paradise full of opportunities for trade, business, tourism and for life itself.

“While e This management, we will be delivering to our citizens and companies, new solutions that will positively impact them, such as the expansion of services in the Single Portal “Gob.do’, thanks to the Zero Bureaucracy Program, the Single Educational File, the Single Health File” revealed Abinader.

Likewise, he added, the Citizen Folder and the Single Notification Platform, because our Digital Agenda will not only increase the productivity of companies, but is also aimed at improving services for all citizens.

President Abinader stressed that for several years the Dominican Republic has achieved a much more leading role among the countries of the region; thanks, among other things, to the stability and good health of our political and democratic system, economic growth and the solidity of the country in terms of investment and opportunities for companies.

Major structural transformations

He assured that since his arrival in the Government, we began to work to achieve the structural transformations that the country needs to continue advancing, without resting for a single moment in addressing the difficulties that have arisen in the form of a crisis. “And I can safely say that we are achieving it.”

He recalled that the Dominican Republic was recognized worldwide for its successful management of the health crisis caused by the global pandemic of COVID-19 and also for the macroeconomic and political stability and social peace that we have been building together. For this reason, he affirmed, “our level of resilience is more than demonstrated.”

He argued that the determination of the Dominican Government to leave no one behind is shown in all the actions that it has deployed at all levels, in order to protect the business network, which is the generator of job opportunities that citizens of the country they need to continue building their life projects.

All this, he added, has allowed the Dominican Republic to be the only country in the region to improve its risk rating in three international agencies that measure this indicator, such as: Moody’s, Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s, with important benefits for the financial future of the nation, both by reducing the cost of future financing, and by attracting investment.

“In addition, we are on the path to becoming a world-class logistics HUB, by taking advantage of our privileged geographical position in the Caribbean, which makes us a strategic point for international trade, connecting with the rest of the world,” he highlighted.

Abinader indicated that these objectives will be achieved through investment in connectivity infrastructures; the implementation of improvements in customs management, with the capacity to dispatch merchandise in less than 24 hours and the promotion of exports.

Especially, he said, those that arise from the agricultural sector, manufacturing and free zones, in which we are taking advantage of the opportunities derived from the reorganization of international trade and the aforementioned “nearshoring”.

The country urgently needed, he insisted, structural changes and we set out to ensure that they were made.

“This meeting space provided by the BFA 2023 and the celebration of the 100 years of life of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic is propitious, to show our interest in continuing to deepen the relationships that we have maintained with such good results. for so many years,” he said.

He reaffirmed his commitment to the Dominican people to continue advancing in the construction of the country we want.

“We invite local and foreign investors to continue placing their trust in our country. The best Dominican Republic is yet to come, and we are building it together”, exalted the ruler.

He expressed his gratitude to all the businessmen and government representatives present and making this meeting possible, and to the American Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic for keeping alive this spirit of work, his vision of the future, and his commitment to the country.

RD has emerged as a leader of change

Meanwhile, the president of AMCHAMDR, Edwin De los Santos, said that the Dominican Republic has emerged as a leader of change with accurate internal policies that guarantee that the country has an orientation towards sustainable productivity.

“Through constant efforts, President Abinader has shown a unique sense of collaborative work between the private and public sectors to encourage the development of small and medium-sized companies, as well as to attract large investments,” he said.

De los Santos added that AMCHAM has been a participatory witness of the many initiatives promoted under his leadership and the different ministries within his Government to integrate a collaborative dialogue that drives the nation to the next level of development.

“President Luis Abinader and his dynamic work team are paving the way with exemplary initiatives such as the Alliance for Development in Democracy and the ADD+USA Business Council, of which AMCHAM is also a part,” he highlighted.

He expressed his gratitude to President Abinader on behalf of AMCHAM and all the American chambers of commerce in Latin America and the Caribbean, for the support and commitment to the private sector and said that his leadership has laid the foundations for fruitful collaboration and has opened the doors to new opportunities for trade and investment in the region.

The president was accompanied by the first lady Raquel Arbaje; her daughter, Adriana Abinader; the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco; the ministers of the Presidency, Joel Santos; of Foreign Relations, Roberto Álvarez; of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes, Víctor -Ito- Bisonó; from the Treasury, José Manuel Vicente; of Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte; of Public Works, Deligne Ascension.

Also, the director of ProDominicana, Biviana Riveiro; the general administrators of the Reserve Bank, Samuel Pereyra; from Banco Agrícola, Fernando Durán; the general directors of Customs, Eduardo Sanz Lovatón; from SENASA, Santiago Hazim; of the CAASD, Felipe Suberví and the Administrative Vice Minister of the Presidency, Igor Rodríguez.

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