"The operation of the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) and the way in which the Cuban government supports this project is impressive," said Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, president of the World Organization of Free Trade Zones, after being received on Monday at the Palace of the Revolution by the member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz.
Al Zarooni also highlighted the operation of the Zone in terms of systems, and from the companies it has selected, especially those dedicated to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and food products. In most of these enclaves, he said, such areas are among the most important.
Today, the number of companies involved in such projects has skyrocketed, although the work is not limited to labor-intensive work, but is based more on knowledge management, such as financial operations, banking and e-commerce, he added.
In complex times like the ones we are living in, as a result of a prolonged crisis caused by the pandemic, "it is time to redesign our economies for the new scenarios, and free trade zones or special economic zones play an essential role in this," said the Cuban Head of Government.
During the event, which was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz; the general director of the ZEDM Office, Ana Teresa Igarza Martínez; as well as the general director of the World Organization of Free Trade Zones, Dr. Samir Hamrouni, the consolidation of the nine-year-old Cuban enclave nine years old, as an attractive place for foreign and domestic investment transcended.
Today, the ZED Mariel has 63 approved businesses, with a committed investment amount close to 3.2 billion dollars. Investors from 22 countries and 11 multinationals are present, and all foreign investment modalities and diverse forms of Cuban management are represented.
Translated by ESTI
