President Danilo Medina, speaking to the highest echelons of business leaders in the country at the Central Bank yesterday, Tuesday 11 February for the Second Follow-up Forum to the II Industries Congress, promised that his government would always be a decisive ally for manufacturers.
According to the President, the National Housing and Development Bank (BNV) will start operating as an Export Development Bank by June. The former BNV will be restructured to finance and thus grow the export sector.
Medina said that there is more coordination with the business sector than ever before and that they were working systematically to eliminate the obstacles that have traditionally hampered the manufacturing sector and that they could look to the future with confidence and optimism.
He went on to say that the last three months the growth figure was 7.2% and the projections for 2014 were even better than the 2013 figure of 4.1% for the year.
Medina said that all of the sectors of the economy had grown without exception and all of the macroeconomic indicators had strengthened.
He said that he was committed to a model that combines both economic growth and social justice.
Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD) president Ligia Bonetti confirmed the support of the current government and said that thousands of people were being taken out of poverty via the government’s social programs and that 104,000 new jobs had been created last year. She also expressed confidence that the target of 400,000 new jobs would be reached
The forum at the Central Bank auditorium was attended by Minister of the Presidency Gustavo Montalvo, Minister of Industry and Commerce Jose del Castillo Savinon, Luisa Fernandez, executive director of the National Board of Free Zones, Alexandra Izquierdo, director of the Center for Industrial Development and Competitiveness (Proindustria) and Andres Vanderhorst, director of the National Competitiveness Board (CNC).
Also present were the president of the Dominican Association of Free Zones (Adozona), Aquiles Bermudez and Manuel Diez Cabral from the National Business Council (Conep).
http://presidencia.gov.do/comunicados/danilo-medina-%E2%80%9Cdebemos-hablar-de-productividad-de-pa%C3%ADs%E2%80%9D