In a significant step to boost cross-border trade and unlock economic potential along its northern Caribbean frontier, the Dominican Republic has formally launched coordinated planning for the development of a network of dry ports along its entire shared border with Haiti. The project, which has been elevated to a matter of supreme national interest via a recent presidential decree, brought top government officials and private sector leaders together for their inaugural high-level coordination meeting earlier this month, chaired by the country’s Foreign Minister Víctor “Ito” Bisonó.
The overarching goals of the initiative extend far beyond just constructing new infrastructure. Proponents say the network of inland dry ports will modernize outdated border logistics systems, sharpen the Dominican Republic’s competitive edge in regional trade, and catalyze long-overdue economic growth in underdeveloped border communities. Additional core objectives include simplifying cross-border trade procedures, tightening customs compliance, strengthening overall border security, and attracting new domestic and foreign investment to the frontier region.
Addressing attendees at the opening session, Bisonó emphasized that successful delivery of the project will depend on close, sustained collaboration across the full spectrum of public institutions and private industry stakeholders, rather than a narrow focus on brick-and-mortar construction alone. To kickstart the initiative, he put forward the Comendador–Belladère cross-border corridor as an ideal pilot project, arguing that early implementation here would generate actionable insights and best practices that can be scaled to other border locations across the country.
The inaugural coordination meeting drew senior representatives from a wide range of government entities, including the Ministries of Finance, and Industry, Commerce and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the General Directorate of Customs (DGA), the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII), the Dominican investment promotion agency ProDominicana, the National Competitiveness Council, the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC), the Dominican Port Authority, and the National Border Development Office. Private sector representation included leading industry groups such as the Dominican Free Zones Association (Adozona), the Logistics Association of the Dominican Republic (Asologic), the National Council of Private Enterprises (Conep), and the Association of Industrialists of the Dominican Republic (AIRD).
During the session, participating stakeholders mapped out their respective institutional responsibilities for the project, and pinpointed cross-cutting areas that require aligned inter-agency and public-private coordination. The collaborative session laid the groundwork for a unified implementation roadmap to guide the rollout of the dry port network.
The entire project is anchored in Decree No. 166-26, signed into law on March 16, 2026, which formally authorizes the full lifecycle development — including design, financing, construction, equipping, operation and maintenance — of dry ports at four strategic border locations: Dajabón, Elías Piña, Independencia and Pedernales. These inland logistics facilities will operate under the same regulatory frameworks as the country’s primary customs zones, with the explicit purpose of streamlining cross-border trade procedures and advancing the Dominican Republic’s long-term strategic goal of establishing itself as a leading regional logistics hub.
Beyond the development of domestic infrastructure, the decree also mandates that the executive branch, led by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Industry, Commerce and MSMEs in coordination with the DGA, lead discussions with Haitian government authorities to identify and jointly develop strategic border crossing points that can support expanded, more efficient international trade between the two neighboring countries.