The Dominican Republic should concentrate on its service
industry, miscellaneous manufactured items, apparel, leather products and
electronic components, said Frederic Emam Zade, as these are the areas in which
it has unearthed a competitive advantage. As the director of economic
development at the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development, Emam Zade
made the recommendations during the seminar titled "Dominican-American
Relations: Building Bridges for Development", which was held at Columbia
University in New York City on 13 October. Emam Zade said that in services, the
DR is the most competitive exporter of the hemisphere, mainly for its tourism.
The DR was ranked slightly ahead of the US for competitiveness, although fared
less well for diversity. Emam Zade forecasts that in the next 10 years,
communications will experience the fastest pace of growth, followed by
manufacturing, commerce, construction, farming, tourism, transport, and the home
ownership sector. He sees the export free zones stagnating to an eventual
decline starting around 2010. For highlights on the economic perspectives, see
http://dr1.com/news/2003/101503_Eco.pdf