Joaquín Alonso Vázquez, Cuba’s Minister of Economy and Planning (MEP), urged delegates at the 9th Congress of the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba (ANEC) to propose concrete measures to counteract, circumvent, and combat the U.S. economic blockade, which has been imposed on the Cuban people for over six decades.
Havana, Cuba.- During the opening session of the congress at Havana’s Convention Center, the minister provided an update on Cuba’s economic situation, highlighting the severe challenges the country faces, including material and financial shortages, and a high external debt burden.
He emphasized that, in the struggle for national development, ANEC should contribute ideas to strengthen fiscal discipline and tax collection, identify inefficient subsidies, and recommend ways to redesign subsidy systems, focusing on direct support to individuals rather than products.
Alonso Vázquez also called on ANEC to develop models for rapid import substitution by leveraging local capacities, as well as business frameworks to boost foreign direct investment. Additionally, he requested proposals to improve the efficiency of investment processes, strengthen public-private partnerships, and promote the ANEC-Conecta platform, which facilitates economic linkages among businesses.
In his address, the minister outlined both objective and subjective obstacles hindering faster and more effective implementation of the government’s economic recovery and distortion-correction program. He noted that Cuba’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has declined over the past five years.
Delegates and guests at the congress were briefed on the progress of key government objectives, including macroeconomic stabilization, increasing exports, boosting domestic production (particularly food supplies), and restoring the national energy grid.
Alonso Vázquez also reported that, to revive productive capacities, 23 foreign-currency financing schemes have been designed for select state enterprises and economic activities.
His presentation sparked extensive debate among delegates during commission sessions, particularly in discussions on ANEC’s role in supporting the government’s economic program. References to the minister’s appeals were also made in debates on the organization’s internal functioning.
The congress continues as Cuban economists and accountants work to draft actionable proposals to help navigate the island’s complex economic landscape amid ongoing external pressures. (Cuba Si)
