Dominican Republic and the Central American countries are united by several trade agreements that identify and strengthen them as one region, a region full of opportunities which main characteristics are:

  • - The total region covers a population of 60 million people;
  • - The economies of these countries maintain rates of economic growth above the average of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) at 4.3% vs. 0.7% respectively;
  • - It has significant advances in infrastructure;
  • - It has an expectation of stability in the prices of its exports with access to a market of more than 2000 million consumers which main market is the United States;
  • - There is a relative macroeconomic stability and moderate to high growth prospects with low levels of inflation;
  • - It has a wealth of assets, natural resources, culture and biodiversity which means a high potential for economic and social development.

According to the IMF, the region's economy will be able to cope with the deceleration observed in emerging markets and its growth would be moderate as a result of global financial conditions.

The countries with the highest growth rates are Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic and, in terms of exports, the overall results of DR CAFTA indicates that the region has multiplied by 2.2 times the value of its exports since 2000 to date. Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are the countries that have exported the most.

As trade agreements are not by themselves development tools but are part of a comprehensive strategy of insertion in international markets, it is imperative that the region take advantage of the opportunities that exist as a result of them, for seeking innovation, the promotion of Public Private Partnerships, the strengthening of productive chains to take advantage of global value chains and the strengthening of national productive capacity for competition and exports.

All of the above must be followed by these three basic pillars: strengthen public institutions to make a good governance that facilitates productive development and competitiveness, develop a more equitable and higher quality education system, and reduce public expense.

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