Dominican Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs Eduardo Sanz Lovatón proposed expanding the use of artificial intelligence among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises during an international panel meeting in Washington.
Speaking at the headquarters of the Organization of American States, the minister stated that facilitating access to digital tools can help small businesses reduce operating costs, improve daily administrative functions, and enter new commercial markets.
Sanz Lovatón explained that artificial intelligence software applications offer solutions across multiple areas of business management, ranging from inventory tracking and customer service handling to electronic payments, invoicing, and e-commerce platforms.
The minister affirmed that the Dominican government is actively promoting specialized training programs to help small business operators integrate these digital tools into their everyday operations. He cited national initiatives including the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the RD Inteligente digital literacy program as key elements of this effort.
Economic impact of small businesses
Micro, small, and medium-sized businesses represent the backbone of the Dominican economy. According to figures presented by the minister during the panel, these small firms account for 98 percent of all registered businesses in the Caribbean nation, generate 61.6 percent of national employment, and contribute 32 percent of gross domestic product.
Given their substantial role in the national economy, Sanz Lovatón noted that productivity enhancements in small businesses would produce broad economic benefits extending far beyond the individual companies themselves.
Small and medium-sized enterprises, commonly referred to as MSMEs or mipymes in Spanish-speaking regions, form a vital economic sector across Latin America and the Caribbean. In the Dominican Republic, an upper-middle-income nation occupying the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs oversees government policies designed to strengthen commercial development, foster industrial growth, and support small entrepreneurs.
Regional trade and panel discussions
Sanz Lovatón also proposed taking advantage of the geographical proximity between the Dominican Republic and the United States to develop higher value-added economic activities. He emphasized that this could be achieved by fostering stronger connections between local talent, technological innovation, capital investment, and international trade channels.
The panel discussion took place as part of the official schedule for Dominican Week in the United States, an annual gathering that brings together government officials, business leaders, and diplomats to advance bilateral economic ties. The event was held at the Washington headquarters of the Organization of American States, an international organization created to promote regional solidarity, economic cooperation, and diplomatic dialogue among member states across the Americas.
The panel brought together prominent representatives from the international business community, including Jordan Crenshaw of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Linda Eddleman, executive director of The Trust for the Americas. The session was moderated by María Waleska Álvarez, vice president of the Executive Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic.
As part of his wider agenda in Washington, Sanz Lovatón also participated in additional high-level working sessions focused on trade relations, foreign investment, and economic cooperation between the Dominican Republic and the United States.
