Carrefour, Altice, and TotalEnergies are French-owned companies in the country
French investments in the Dominican Republic exceed 6 billion dollars, according to Thomas Plisson, director of the Franco-Dominican Chamber of Commerce. He noted that these investments are concentrated in sectors such as energy, airports, and retail, with prominent examples like the Carrefour chain.
He stated that historically, the first direct investments arrived in the Dominican Republic at the end of the 1990s, driven by investment attraction laws. After a pause, however, in the last 10 years, there has been renewed dynamism because the country enjoys political stability, which is uncommon in Latin America.
He mentioned that many political transitions in the region have generated uncertainty for the private sector. In contrast, in the Dominican Republic, the business climate has improved due to the implementation of local and international laws, as well as trade agreements with the European Union, the Caribbean, the United States, and Central America.
“Today, investing in the Dominican Republic is less risky and much more operational. For example, we estimate that the French companies grouped in our Chamber represent around 6 billion dollars in direct investment and reinvestment. Many of them reinvest their profits in the country,” explained the director of the Franco-Dominican Chamber of Commerce.
He also pointed out that French-owned companies have created approximately 6,000 direct, quality jobs, and many of them, leaders in their sectors, continuously introduce innovations.
Some of the landmark investments include: Carrefour, which introduced competition into the retail sector in the late 90s; TotalEnergies, which revolutionized the concept of gas stations, turning them into community hubs for areas without nearby supermarkets.
Also, Vinci Airports, a French operator managing Dominican airports and making major investments in infrastructure, contributing to economic growth at no cost to the state.
He further stated, “Each year we see more interest from French and European companies in investing here. I recently participated in the Latin America Forum on global French investment, and many were surprised to discover that Santo Domingo has an urban cable car, a metro, and that a monorail is being developed in Santiago. All of these projects have involved French engineering and materials.”
Thomas Plisson pointed out that even countries considered more developed than the Dominican Republic still lack such infrastructure.
Innovation and Technology:
Regarding the future, the French government and the Chamber—which is a non-profit Dominican association, independent of the government—along with companies like Altice (French), are very interested in promoting investment in innovation and technology.
“We want to encourage more tech incubators, startups, and artificial intelligence solutions. We believe the Dominican Republic has the ability to make a radical shift toward innovation. We’ve already seen this with the rapid adoption of electric vehicles and advances in telecommunications. Unlike many European countries, here technology has been adopted directly, without going through failed intermediary stages. That demonstrates the potential we have to continue advancing,” highlighted the executive.
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