The World Bank chose the Dominican Republic as one of 12 nations, for the implementation of a long term strategic development program. The program will enable the DR to have access every year to more than US$100 million in credit. The announcement was made during the formal opening of the World Bank offices in Santo Domingo. The new offices are located at Calle Gustavo Mejía Ricart corner Calle Virgilio Ordoñez, in Julieta neighborhood. President Leonel Fernández visited the new offices for the formal opening ceremony. World Bank officers Marisela Montoliu and Orsalia Kalanzopoulous, resident representatives for the Caribbean, hosted the statesman at the new office. During the opening, President Fernández spoke by video conference with the president of the organization, James. D. Wolfensohn. Wolfensohn praised the Dominican statesman for his government’s macroeconomic policies that have permitted a sustained growth of about 7% for the past three years. Also present at the event were Technical Secretary of the Presidency, Temístocles Montás; Minister of Finances Daniel Toribio; Governor of the Central Bank Hector Valdez Albizu; the director of the Department of Planning Rafael Camilo; and Secretary of the Presidency Alejandrina Guzmán. The DR has contracted loans for about US$280 million with the World Bank.
