- Mining Chamber criticizes “paralysis” in the approval of extraction projects
Mining accounted for 51.9% of the Dominican Republic’s exports in 2025, highlighted Martín Valerio, executive director of the country’s Mining and Petroleum Chamber (Camipe), as he presented the sector’s annual performance results.
He also noted that mining represents 1.4% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Valerio took the opportunity to criticize the delays in the approval of extraction projects and to call for clear rules regarding the funds delivered to communities.
He added that the sector attracted US$420 million in foreign investment and contributed more than RD$25 billion to the treasury in the first half of 2025.
“An underestimated sector”
Despite its importance, Valerio said the extractive industry is underestimated and suggested that the State is not fulfilling its regulatory duty.
“When a legitimate request waits months or years without a response, the one who loses is not the company—it’s the country. It loses investment, jobs, and development. Therefore, this is not prudence, it is paralysis,” he stated.
He affirmed that “any honest conversation about the sector must recognize the duties of the State and society in guaranteeing clear rules, agile processes, and debates based on evidence, not prejudice.”
In that regard, he expressed support for the development of a mechanism that ensures accountability for the 5% paid for the development of the communities where mining companies operate.
“In mining we understand this well: yes, we have rights, but we also have duties. Duties to the country, to the environment, to the communities, and to the truth,” he emphasized.
He called on the Government, the National Congress, academia, the private sector, and civil society to join a major pact for mining modernization.
Alongside these criticisms, the Chamber highlighted that the sector has been consolidating a social focus reflected in more than RD$220 million in accumulated investment between 2020 and 2025.
These resources, they explained, have supported more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs.
General balance
During the meeting, Camipe presented its 2025 balance and outlined its vision for 2026, supported by the campaign “Mining Moves Us,” an initiative aimed at showcasing the sector’s role in building a modern, responsible, and socially impactful mining model.
The organization stressed that although economic data shows the magnitude of the industry —with more than US$1.043 billion exported and fiscal contributions exceeding RD$20 billion between January and July 2025 alone— its most significant indicator of impact lies in human transformation.
For the entity, achievements should be measured through concrete stories: families that no longer walk across rivers to reach school, young people who gain access to university scholarships, or communities receiving free healthcare services.
In this context, the Chamber noted that more than 10,000 people have received free medical care, and at least 140 rural households have benefited from interventions to replace dirt floors.
They also highlighted investment in education: 1,200 university scholarships, 1,700 technical trainings, and more than 8,100 young people trained through sector-led initiatives aimed at strengthening specialized trades.
Camipe also emphasized environmental progress, citing the planting of more than 70,000 trees and watershed protection actions in areas such as the San Juan River, the Sabaneta dam, and the Sin and Arroyo Toro rivers.
The entity reiterated that every formal mining project is required to develop and financially guarantee a closure plan, which —they assert— ensures environmental restoration for future generations.
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