The Enriquillo region has the provinces where the central government executes the highest public investment per capita, since in 2022 an amount of RD 45,040 per capita was executed in Independencia; followed by Pedernales, with RD 31,432; Bahoruco, with RD 26,062; and Barahona, with RD 16,879, according to data from the National Public Investment System operated by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD).
The information was released by the Minister of Economy, Planning and Development, Pável Isa Contreras, at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Universidad Católica Tecnológica de Barahona (UCATEBA), on the occasion of the Dialogues of Development, which will take place at the Barahona campus of the UASD, next Wednesday, August 2.
The economist and researcher explained that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Enriquillo region is characterized by its dependence on the construction (15.9%), commerce (12.1%) and education (10.8%) sectors, as indicated in the study “Approximating the GDP at the regional level in the Dominican Republic”, prepared by the Ministry of Economy, the National Statistics Office (ONE) and the World Bank.
By 2021, the Enriquillo region benefited from four international cooperation initiatives, behind only Valdesia, with six. At the provincial level, Pedernales (17) and Independencia (14) occupied the top positions, only surpassed by Santo Domingo (26), according to the ninth Annual International Cooperation Report 2021.
However, the four provinces of the Enriquillo region were considered in 2021 as lagging territories (below the national average) in the magnitude of territorial development gaps, a synthetic indicator contained in the 2022 Sector Competitiveness Bulletin, which identifies territorial gaps at the provincial level through the identification of socioeconomic indicators contemplated in selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Public investment and development projects financed by international cooperation have been key during this administration to promote the development of the Enriquillo region, improving the quality of life of the people in their territories. Both are based on consensus and will be shared during the third edition of Development Dialogues, this Wednesday, August 2 at the UASD campus in Barahona.
Also present at the press conference were the governor of Barahona, Genara González Marmolejos; the vice-minister of Territorial Planning and Regional Development, Domingo Matías; the director of Cabinet, Manuel Robles; the director of Development Policies of the Border Zone, Erick Dorrejo, and the representative of the Regional Planning Office of the Enriquillo Region, Julio César Osorio.
Minister Isa Contreras will develop a broad agenda in the Enriquillo Region, which includes meetings with businessmen and civil society of Barahona and Pedernales; two inaugurations of works as part of the Territorial Cohesion Fund, in Cristóbal and Villa Jaragua, as well as exchanges with journalists of each province.
The governor of Barahona, who will give a speech at the Development Dialogue, highlighted the importance of this space and welcomed with joy the commission, headed by Isa Contreras, head of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development.
Economy Dialogue
At the press conference, the Cabinet Director, also an economist, Manuel Robles, explained that in events prior to the third edition of the Development Dialogues, Provincial Dialogues were held in the four components of the Enriquillo region. In these spaces, representatives of public institutions and civil society put forward proposals for the economic and social progress of each of the territories that make up this region.
Architect Erick Dorrejo, director of Border Zone Development Policies of the Ministry of Economy, explained how the MiFronteraRD strategy is based on dialogue in all the territories and in an institutional manner in order to overcome 14 structural gaps, 90 initiatives, four cross-cutting themes and five umbrella programs, as well as the organization of 17 border markets.
“We are working to make security for development a reality, which consists of combining responses to improve border security and migratory control, with policies to generate opportunities that improve the quality of life of the border zone population.”
Similarly, the Vice Minister of Territorial Planning and Regional Development, Domingo Matías, explained that the dialogues of the Ministry of Economy are constantly systematized and have an instant computer platform whose name is the Single Registry of Territorial Citizen Demands (RUDCT), through which 151 public investment projects, the result of citizen consultation processes in the Provincial Development Councils, were integrated into the national budget of 2023, with an investment of over 12,000 million pesos.
In this regard, the representative of the South West Regional Planning Office, Julio César Osorio, explained his work of articulation to achieve constant dialogue in both the Enriquillo and El Valle regions.
Development Dialogues Enriquillo Region will be held this August 2 at the UASD Barahona Campus and the voices of the region will be represented by Minerva Montero Minaya, coordinator of the Pedernales Extension of the Universidad Católica Tecnológica de Barahona (UCATEBA); Nelina Trinidad, from the technical area of the Educational District 18-04 and president of the Neighborhood Board of Los Espartillos, in Jimaní, Independencia; Faustino Reyes Díaz, coordinator of the Center of Coffee Growers and Farmers of the Sierra de Neiba (NUCASNE), Bahoruco, and Leonardo Mercedes, honorary advisor to the permanent commissions of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic, were also present at the press conference.
Source: presidencia.gov.do
