Pedro Brache, president of the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP), said that the reforms that the Dominican Republic is embarking on to promote a post-pandemic economic reactivation must be progressive, inclusive and encourage investment, job creation and sustainable growth.
During his speech “The Great Dominican Reboot: A look to the future and the generation of opportunities” presented to members of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR), the business leader insisted on the need to maintain and take care of political and social stability, which have been the basis for the development of the Dominican Republic and that it is also necessary to promote inclusive development that closes the gaps and inequalities between the different social strata.
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Brache stated that, although the COVID-19 pandemic has left the world unbalanced, it is time for Dominican society to move forward and continue on the path of progress.
During his presentation to AMCHAMDR members, he called on the country’s private sector to firmly and confidently lead the way to the Dominican Republic’s recovery, adapting to the new times and ensuring the stability and continuity of economic activities.
“Undoubtedly one of those keys to achieve growth in this new stage will be competitiveness, which as we know is the cornerstone of economic and social development. Therefore, if we want to maintain our leadership position in the region and advance in comparison with other countries, we must continue to bet on a competitive and innovative economic fabric that allows us to generate investment and development,” he said.
During his speech, he insisted on the importance of generating sustainable integral growth that benefits the entire population, promoting the orange economy, guaranteeing the equal participation of women and the full inclusion of all social groups, as well as calling for solving the problems of the electricity sector and transforming them into an opportunity to attract investment and create new jobs.
Brache also highlighted the profound transformation that national industries have undergone to minimize their impact, the integration of renewable energies, the promotion of the circular economy and the need to improve and streamline the country’s education to reduce the digital divide.
Before concluding his speech, he called on all sectors to implement what he called “The Great Dominican Reset”, where the importance of institutionalism, legal security, technological progress and social stability are recognized.
AMCHAMDR bets on increasing investments and trade with the U.S.
Prior to Brache’s presentation, the president of AMCHAMDR, Roberto Herrera, emphasized that AMCHAMDR is committed to the country’s access to new opportunities for economic growth, development of trade and increase of foreign investment, mainly from the US, through the implementation of Nearshore and the positioning as a world-class Regional Logistics Hub.
“In this post-pandemic context, we envision that the economic reactivation of the country can be boosted and supported through the positioning of the Dominican Republic as a Regional Logistics Hub and as a Nearshore production platform, attached to the North American supply chain. This is taking advantage of the key moment that the country is experiencing with the recently approved Customs Law and the successful implementation of the 24-hour clearance of goods at the ports, where AMCHAMDR played a key role in its achievement,” said Herrera.
The AMCHAMDR president indicated that the delegation that participated in the recently concluded 29th edition of Dominican Week in the United States explored opportunities for bilateral growth and options for forging public-private alliances to support economic reactivation.
The AMCHAMDR Encounter with Pedro Brache is the first hybrid event developed by the American Chamber of Commerce since the suspension a year and a half ago of its face-to-face activities due to the pandemic. The event, held at the Churchill Room of the Intercontinental Hotel, was attended by government officials and business leaders, including the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes, Víctor (Ito) Bisonó; the executive vice-president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic, Circe Almánzar; opinion leaders, among others.
