The Ministry of Industry and Commerce and authorities from the southwestern province of Pedernales have presented the measures that the government is planning to implement to promote economic development in the province as part of the Southern Region Development Plan that President Danilo Medina announced in 2015. The plan was presented by Ignacio Mendez, the deputy minister for the Promotion of Small and Medium-Scale Businesses at the Ministry.
The program is aimed at strengthening local industry and creating sustainable employment for people in the local community and in the Lake Enriquillo region. Mendez announced government initiatives for tourism sector development, starting with support for small hotels and restaurants in the province. Funds will go towards developing business associations, infrastructure improvements, promotion and Internet marketing.
The government will support local fisheries by providing credit and the equipment needed for implementing good fishing practices to enable fishermen to improve their livelihoods and ensure the conservation of the marine life along the country’s southern coast.
In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is creating a public-private alliance with the Association of Small and Medium-scale Textile Businesses that will provide training, new equipment, credit for working capital and the materials for a group of women at the Federation of Mothers’ Centers to produce a first batch of 10,000 school uniform shirts for schools in Pedernales and neighboring provinces. Mendez said that in the near future they would continue working to help the women to produce the pants and backpacks required by the schools in the area.
