1. As Executive Director of the Consejo Nacional de Competitividad, what are your priorities for elevating the productivity, innovation and competitiveness of the Dominican Republic at the regional and international level?
The Dominican Republic has experienced extraordinary economic performance, but this has largely been based on the accumulation of physical capital, infrastructure investment, foreign investment and the development of sectors such as tourism. We have also made progress in human capital, but our greatest opportunity now lies in productivity.
Productivity has many dimensions, including innovation, infrastructure and logistics, human capital and institutional quality. Within institutionality, issues such as regulatory barriers and the strength of democratic institutions are interconnected and directly affect productivity.
This is where the efforts of META 2036 are focused. META 2036 is not simply a plan or strategy; it is a collaborative public-private, social and academic platform. Its purpose is to identify, within each relevant sector of the economy, the barriers to development as well as the levers and accelerators that can drive progress.
There are currently 14 committees within META 2036, 13 sectoral committees and one transversal committee addressing issues common across sectors. All of them are focused on the different components that affect productivity.
2. Is there a consensus that the country should move towards a more value-added economy? How is this transformation of the productive model being driven by technology, knowledge and innovation, and which sectors will lead this leap?
The focus on the different components of productivity naturally opens the door to a more value-added economy.
There is the opportunity presented by nearshoring, the sophistication of local production and, clearly, the incorporation of artificial intelligence and new technologies. These developments will not only affect domestic production but can also attract foreign direct investment into areas of greater economic complexity.
Greater economic complexity creates a cascade effect, with higher levels of sophistication extending throughout the wider economy. It becomes a virtuous process.
Foreign investment is therefore an important part of this transformation, as is making market entry easier and creating a more attractive business climate.
3. What potential does the Dominican Republic have to attract new companies and consolidate itself as a regional manufacturing platform, and how does this relate to competitiveness?
Our geographical position is fundamental. Our free trade agreements are also extremely important.
Human capital is another critical factor. One particularly interesting issue that has emerged through the META 2036 committees is that the educational offering does not always correspond to the needs of different sectors, even at the regional level.
The type of human capital required in the tourism sector in the East is not necessarily the same as that required in the industrial and manufacturing sectors in the North or South. Agriculture, for example, requires another specific set of skills.
We have therefore begun connecting industry needs with the output of polytechnic institutions and vocational and technical education centres. We are also looking at scholarship programmes to develop the human capital of the future, particularly in STEM fields.
Education itself is changing. The educational model is increasingly focused on certifications that are stackable, and public-private collaboration is essential to meet both today's needs and those of the future.
For example, we are evaluating the potential of semiconductor nearshoring. Semiconductors will require a very specific type of human capital, and that capacity has to be developed from now.
We are also looking at rare earths and the ecosystem surrounding them. These opportunities can move the Dominican Republic into industries with greater added value and economic sophistication, beyond the traditional tourism model.
Tourism itself also has significant room for sophistication. We no longer have unlimited beach space with which to simply double the number of resorts or hotel rooms. Therefore, if we want to double the value of tourism, we need to double the amount each tourist spends.
Achieving that requires a better culinary offer, a stronger cultural offer and opportunities such as multi-destination tourism. These elements can complement the traditional tourism model and create a much more sophisticated sector.
We also have cruise tourism, strong logistics and connectivity, as well as airports, ports and internal infrastructure. These provide a solid base from which to continue growing.
4. What structural reforms are being carried out to facilitate business activity, reduce obstacles and strengthen the confidence of national and international investors?
We have a programme focused precisely on these issues. Its objectives include reducing obstacles, increasing transparency, digitising processes and simplifying procedures, ultimately making the business climate easier for investors.
This is complemented by the Dominican Republic's political, democratic and economic stability, as well as commercial agreements such as DR-CAFTA with the United States and Central America, which provide an important gateway and attraction for investment.
We also have an attractive fiscal regime for investors and the free-zone regime. All these components come together.
In addition, we have a population with a very open and welcoming culture, which contributes to making the Dominican Republic an attractive place to live and invest.
5. Infrastructure is a key pillar of competitiveness. What are the main challenges that need to be addressed, and how can investors contribute?
Doubling the economy requires a significant expansion of the infrastructure that supports it. We will need more electricity, greater port capacity and continued investment across our infrastructure network.
This creates a major opportunity because economic growth itself will require new investment and new infrastructure.
We are already seeing investment in areas such as digital connectivity. Google, for example, is investing in the country and connecting it through a cable infrastructure that can contribute to making the Dominican Republic a strong data-centre location.
There is another very interesting opportunity: using the global decarbonisation process to develop green industries.
For example, we could have data centres powered by solar energy and storage, as well as green free zones. Our forests can also create opportunities related to green carbon bonds.
The Dominican Republic has the sun and wind resources that can support this transition. Industries in countries facing strong pressure to decarbonise could find it attractive to establish operations here.
6. What role do micro, small and medium-sized enterprises play in the country's competitiveness agenda?
MSMEs are a fundamental part of the Dominican economy. They are present across virtually every sector, from transport and commerce to industry and agriculture.
Micro, small and the smaller end of medium-sized enterprises represent approximately 90% of the Dominican productive fabric, which means there is an enormous opportunity for financial deepening, access to banking and credit, technology adoption and formalisation.
These elements are interconnected. We need to combine technology, banking and financing with greater formalisation through simpler regulatory and tax regimes.
The objective is not for companies to remain MSMEs indefinitely. The intention is for them to grow and graduate towards higher levels of scale and sophistication.
Another important element is connecting MSMEs to the productive chains of larger sectors. They can provide goods and services to government, tourism, rural areas and major corporations.
The key is to facilitate these connections so that productive chains can develop between MSMEs, large companies and government institutions.
MSMEs also represent an important source of innovation. We need mechanisms that allow their innovations to scale and ensure that patents and copyrights can be protected.
Often, the problem is not the absence of an instrument, but a lack of knowledge about how to use it. If entrepreneurs understand how to file patents or copyrights to protect their ideas, and if financial markets deepen sufficiently to allow seed capital to reach MSMEs, there is another major opportunity for growth.
7. In a global competitive environment, how is the Dominican Republic positioned to attract international investment, and what opportunities do you see for investors from Morocco and other regions?
We have already discussed our geographical position, human capital and commercial agreements. For investors from the Gulf and other regions, there are also significant opportunities in more sophisticated tourism, infrastructure and other areas.
There is an opportunity for the Dominican Republic to become a hub for companies from the Gulf and other international markets, their gateway into the Americas.
Companies can establish themselves here and use the Dominican Republic as a base from which to operate in international markets.
DP World is already present in the country, providing an example of this potential. There is also a new re-export mechanism through which products can be stored in the Dominican Republic and subsequently distributed to Central and South America.
This creates an opportunity to use the Dominican Republic as a point of connection with multiple markets across the Americas.
8. What strategies is the country developing to promote digital transformation, particularly in artificial intelligence?
The Dominican Republic recently signed an agreement with NVIDIA, a global leader in artificial intelligence. The agreement includes training public-sector personnel in AI and bringing artificial intelligence into schools.
We are at the right point to take advantage of this technology. Local companies are already using AI, and it will have a significant impact on productivity.
The key is teaching people how to use AI efficiently. Training is therefore essential so that people across society can benefit from the technology.
At the same time, access to AI needs to be affordable and accessible. This is already part of the country's policy approach: ensuring that people with fewer economic resources can also access and use these technologies.
AI should ultimately reinforce the human capital we already have. It can make people more productive, and that greater productivity should be reflected in their income and salaries.
The objective is for human capital to become more productive through AI, with the resulting productivity gains translating into better incomes.
9. META 2036 aims to diversify GDP and raise per-capita income while sustaining strong economic growth. What is the role of the National Competitiveness Council in making this vision possible?
META 2036 has a clearly defined governance structure.
There is a commission made up of the Ministry of the Presidency, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, and the National Competitiveness Council. The three institutions work collaboratively and oversee the sectoral and transversal committees.
The committees work independently. They identify priorities, define action plans and work with the public or private institutions responsible for implementing them.
When an initiative encounters an obstacle or is delayed, the issue is escalated to the commission, which looks for a way to overcome it. If the commission cannot resolve the issue, it has the ability to escalate it to the President.
The President also meets monthly with the coordinators of the committees. This means he hears directly about their work, progress and delays, while also providing additional momentum.
Having the political capital of the President behind META 2036, combined with the work of the three institutions and the public-private articulation led by the National Competitiveness Council, creates a highly effective ecosystem.
The initiatives identified through this process are prioritised, implemented and completed, while new initiatives are continuously added. It is an ongoing process that is expected to continue through 2036 and beyond.
10. Finally, what message would you like to convey to Gulf News readers? What advantages make the Dominican Republic an attractive platform for companies and investors looking to grow in the Caribbean and access markets across the Americas?
The Dominican Republic is open for business.
We are doing the necessary work to make investment increasingly attractive and to establish the country as a regional benchmark.
I believe we are already there to a certain extent, but we still need to consolidate that position and go further.
One of the most important elements in achieving this vision is ensuring that the world understands that the Dominican Republic is not simply a tourist destination.
We have a slogan that says, “The Dominican Republic has everything.”
And it is true: we have everything.
We want the world to understand that potential and to help us build this vision of the future.
