SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – In a landmark address marking the nation’s 182nd Independence anniversary, President Luis Abinader unveiled a transformative infrastructure initiative: a network of dry ports along the volatile border with Haiti. Declaring it the most ambitious logistics project in regional history, Abinader framed the development as a dual-purpose strategy to bolster national sovereignty and stimulate economic growth.
The project, fueled by an estimated US$300 million in private investment, will operate under a free trade zone framework. President Abinader characterized this as a strategic state decision designed to enhance development and competitiveness. He positioned the dry ports as an ‘economic wall’—a complementary structure to the recently constructed border wall. This economic barrier aims to revitalize impoverished border provinces, streamline formal trade channels with Haiti, and decisively dismantle pervasive smuggling networks.
Citing successful precedents in Mexico and the United States, Abinader emphasized that the dry port model has proven effective for centralizing customs operations, normalizing cross-border commerce, and converting peripheral regions into dynamic hubs of development. He further elaborated that true border stability cannot exist amidst widespread informality, asserting that security is achieved not merely through surveillance but via job creation, organized trade, and the generation of tangible economic opportunities.
Functioning as inland logistics platforms connected to maritime ports via rail or road, dry ports provide comprehensive services including customs clearance, storage, and container transshipment. This system is engineered to alleviate congestion in coastal port areas and efficiently channel goods to inland consumption and production centers.