标签： Dominican Republic

Against a backdrop of soaring living costs and strained household budgets across the Eastern Caribbean, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is moving forward with a bold plan to deepen bilateral trade relations with the Dominican Republic and Panama. The initiative, which targets relief for cash-strapped consumers, centers on a formal request to temporarily suspend the Common External Tariff (CET), a long-standing trade framework that currently regulates imports into the bloc. This temporary suspension would clear the way for increased imports of staple goods from markets that sit outside the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) integration agreement.

Speaking to reporters following the conclusion of the annual OECS Summit hosted in Antigua and Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne laid out the details of the proposal. Browne, who spoke on behalf of the bloc, explained that the core goal of the policy shift is to grant all 11 OECS member states access to lower-cost essential goods and food products at a time when regional inflation has pushed household expenses to multi-year highs.

Browne emphasized that both Panama and the Dominican Republic bring unique strategic advantages to the proposed trade partnership. Panama, he noted, has already established itself as one of the Western Hemisphere’s most robust and efficient commercial hubs, with extensive logistics networks that can streamline the movement of goods into the Eastern Caribbean. For its part, the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean’s largest economy, has the capacity to emerge as a key supplier of competitively priced food and everyday consumer goods, filling gaps that current supply chains have failed to address.

The prime minister added that the existing traditional trade routes have long forced Caribbean consumers to pay inflated prices. Many goods pass through multiple intermediaries before reaching regional markets, with each step adding additional costs that are ultimately passed on to shoppers. Direct, expanded trade with nearby regional partners eliminates many of these intermediary markups, creating a far more cost-effective alternative for OECS member states.

To move the initiative forward, the OECS has already directed its administrative commission to launch a comprehensive feasibility study. The study will specifically map out which products can be sourced at lower price points from the Dominican Republic, providing a clear roadmap for tariff exemptions. The bloc also plans to begin formal consultations with CARICOM leadership in the coming weeks to secure approval for the CET suspension, as the tariff framework falls under CARICOM’s broader trade governance structure.

If approved, the policy shift is expected to deliver multiple benefits across the Eastern Caribbean. Beyond lowering import costs and easing the burden of high consumer prices for households, the move will also strengthen regional trade integration, expand economic ties between OECS nations and their northern Caribbean neighbors, and improve regional food security by diversifying supply chains for essential staple goods.

In a historic first for the Caribbean region, the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM) has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with global food and delivery platform Uber Eats, designed to drive inclusive economic growth by empowering the country’s micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This alliance marks the first time Uber Eats has partnered with a public sector body across the Caribbean, marking a new milestone in cross-sector cooperation to integrate small businesses into the digital economy.

The formal agreement was signed at an official event by Dominican Industry and Commerce Minister Yayo Sanz Lovatón and Marco Nannipieri, Uber Eats’ Regional General Manager overseeing the Andean Region, Central America, and the Caribbean. The core goal of the partnership is to harness Uber Eats’ extensive digital ecosystem and large consumer base to address key barriers facing local MSMEs: limited market visibility, low customer reach, and constrained sales capacity, while upgrading small business operational efficiency through access to modern digital tools.

Under the terms of the agreement, Uber Eats will integrate its platform resources to support MICM’s ongoing MSME-focused Business Roundtables initiative. The platform will promote roundtable activities, policy campaigns, and MSME-focused promotional events directly to its millions of users through its mobile application. For MSMEs already participating in existing MICM development programs, the partnership unlocks a range of tangible benefits: prioritized visibility on the Uber Eats platform, and direct, simplified access to guidance and information on official certification processes for both general SMEs and women-led business operations. Uber Eats has also committed to sending representatives to participate in MICM industry events across all its operating territories in the region.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Yayo Sanz Lovatón framed the alliance as a model forward-thinking public-private partnership that will directly strengthen the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of Dominican MSMEs, a core driver of the country’s domestic economy. He emphasized that in the modern commercial landscape, large digital platforms have evolved into essential infrastructure that connects producers, small business owners, and consumers far more efficiently than traditional brick-and-mortar distribution networks.

For his part, Marco Nannipieri highlighted that MSMEs already make up approximately 75% of all active businesses on the Uber Eats platform, giving the company a core stake in supporting the growth of small and medium-sized operators. He echoed the significance of the agreement, noting that as the first public-private partnership of its kind for Uber Eats in the Caribbean, it sets a new precedent for expanding small business access to digital growth tools across the region.

To lower barriers to entry for participating MSMEs, the initiative includes a suite of targeted financial and operational incentives. For SMEs referred by MICM during the 2026 Business Roundtables, Uber Eats is offering a 10% discount on up to 1,500 deliveries through its Uber Flash delivery service. Additionally, newly registered MSMEs that join the platform through the partnership will receive preferential service pricing and free advertising credits tailored to their business category, helping them build momentum in their early months on the platform.

In Puerto Plata, the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) has officially inaugurated the Management Committee for the newly built Sosúa Beach Vendors Plaza, a landmark institutional move carried out in full compliance with Decree No. 187-26. This formal establishment is designed to embed robust administrative frameworks, proactive maintenance protocols, and long-term sustainable operations for the key public tourism facility.

The official launch of the multi-stakeholder committee took place during a collaborative working meeting convened by Patricia Mejía, Vice Minister of Destination Management. In addition to senior Mitur officials, the gathering drew participation from Ginette Bournigal, Senator for the Puerto Plata region, as well as leadership representatives from a cross-section of local community organizations. The committee’s membership is intentionally inclusive, bringing together delegations from the area’s Catholic and Evangelical churches, the Sosúa Municipal Government, the Magua Foundation, the Sosúa Development Association, and the leading representative body for local vendors, the Sosúa Beach Vendors Association.

Per the provisions outlined in the governing decree, the committee is tasked with full oversight of the plaza’s day-to-day operations, ongoing conservation efforts, and strategic management. The facility itself was developed with two core goals in mind: first, to dramatically upgrade informal working conditions for hundreds of beach vendors who serve the area’s steady stream of tourists, and second, to curate a cleaner, more organized, and enjoyable experience for domestic and international visitors to Sosúa Beach.

Government and tourism stakeholders emphasized that this governance model represents a deliberate shift toward transparent, collaborative governance of public tourism assets, uniting stakeholders from the public sector, civil society, and local commercial groups around a shared vision for the region’s tourism growth. For Mitur, the formalization of the committee marks another key milestone in the broader transformation of Sosúa Beach, a project that has already reshaped the iconic coastal destination. Authorities anticipate the committee’s work will help sustain public order along the beach, lift overall service standards for visitors, and create a more supportive environment for broad-based tourism development across Puerto Plata. Ultimately, the initiative underscores the ministry’s ongoing commitment to centering community participation and sustainable management practices in stewarding the Dominican Republic’s most valuable tourism assets.