The Minister of Industry, Commerce, and SMEs of the Dominican Republic, Eduardo Sanz Lovatón, has confirmed that the "final touches" are being made to an "intellectual partnership" agreement with a university in the United States, designed to give a strong boost to the Dominican semiconductor industry.
"We have launched a strategy to prepare our people in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] technologies. Then, we are going to sign a very important agreement in the US with one of the leading universities in that great country," he explained in an interview with Europa Press, emphasizing that this pact is part of the country's commitment to training in technological areas.
Sanz remarked that the Dominican Republic has consolidated itself as a "proven destination" for the technology sector, recalling the $500 million (438.5 million euros) investment announced by Google in February to deploy new digital infrastructures in the country.
Along the same lines, he recalled that Nvidia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dominican Government in October 2025 to cooperate in the implementation of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA), which, in his opinion, strengthens the country's positioning in cutting-edge technologies.
"One of the things the semiconductor industry needs is the human capital that can work in it," Sanz admitted, alluding to the need for qualified personnel as the main reason for the academic agreement being finalized in the United States.
The minister reiterated that the future of the Dominican economy is closely linked to the development of the STEM field, information, and the so-called 'orange economy,' a model in which goods and services are distinguished by their intellectual, artistic, or cultural component.
"That is why one of the most important things we are doing on our visit to Europe is promoting the semiconductor industry in the country through President [Luis] Abinader's National Development Strategy 2030," he indicated, referring to the official roadmap for diversifying the economy.
To this end, Sanz met with the Spanish Association of the Semiconductor Industry (AESEMI), with whom he discussed the competitive advantages of the Dominican Republic as an enclave for developing cutting-edge technology and advanced manufacturing.
Among the differentiating elements, the minister has cited the "creative capacity" of the Dominican workforce and their command of several languages, to which he adds the island's strategic geographical position, especially relevant in a context of reconfiguring global supply chains towards 'nearshoring'.
"I believe that the future of our economy is to embrace these areas of creativity that add a great deal of value," Sanz has emphasized, convinced that innovation will be the country's great engine of growth.
Dominican Economy in Full Transformation
Sanz has described the current situation of the Dominican Republic's economy as "formidable," highlighting the productive diversification of recent years and the objective of consolidating the country as the great logistics and industrial 'hub' of the Caribbean.
According to the minister, tourism has ceased to be the sole pillar of growth, ceding prominence to manufacturing exports, including those with high added value. He has highlighted that 35% of free zone exports correspond to medical supplies and 15% to electronic products.
He has also emphasized the importance of the logistics sector, favored by the fact that the country is the "second or third" in Latin America with the highest maritime connectivity and the first in air connectivity, which allows it to serve as a regional platform.
Likewise, he has mentioned the boost of the "sugar and sweets economy," based on sales of sugar, cocoa, coffee, or tobacco and the growing demand for gastronomic products with a Dominican seal.
However, Sanz has not overlooked the "undeniable leadership" of the Dominican Republic as a tourist power, a role the country does not intend to abandon, given that it remains key to maintaining growth rates close to 4% even in an international context marked by the war in Iran.
The minister has attributed this positive dynamic to the legal certainty offered by the country and a "very favorable" business climate. He has added that all of this is also supported by the political stability of a "fully democratic" system without "ideological radicalisms."
In this environment, Sanz has pointed out that Spanish companies invested more than 1 billion euros in the Dominican Republic last year, mainly in tourism, construction, and shopping centers.
A Strategic Island Among Great Powers
Sanz has defended that the location of the Dominican Republic represents an advantage for Spanish companies that wish to export to the United States, thanks to the Free Trade Agreement between the Dominican Republic, Central America and the USA (CAFTA-DR). More than 65% of Dominican exports are destined for the US market.
"One of the advantages we have in the current geopolitical context is that, firstly, there is a strategic link with the USA and, at the same time, with the European Union," he pointed out. "The second most populated city in our country is New York and the third is Madrid," he added, alluding to the weight of the Dominican diaspora in both cities.
The minister has categorically ruled out any scenario that does not contemplate a "formidable" relationship with the United States and with the European Union as an "essential strategic partner" for both sides of the Atlantic.
In contrast, he has warned that China's industrial overproduction is "of course" an evident threat, for which he has urged "to rethink together the structure of a world that has changed" in order to preserve "fair competition."
Regarding Spain, Sanz has expressed his conviction that bilateral ties are "too strong" for changes of government on one side and the other of the Atlantic to deteriorate the good harmony between both countries.
"[The relations] are intertwined by the great cultural and historical link, shared values and, above all, by the tourists who go to the Dominican Republic and the immigrants who come to Spain," he concluded, highlighting the depth of the relationship.