CAF's Executive President, Enrique García, on official visit to Cuba to strengthen cooperation

The Executive President of CAF -Development Bank of Latin America-, Enrique García, made an official two-day visit to the Republic of Cuba to strengthen technical support and cooperation ties, as part of the firm commitment of CAF to the sustainable development of said Caribbean country.

"Cuba undergoes a period of significant changes and at CAF we are pleased to help the country in this process by fostering initiatives that contribute to its economic and social development," stated García after his visit on February 8-9.

As part of his busy schedule, the Executive President of CAF met senior officials of the Cuban Government, among them the Vice-President of the Council of State and Minister of Economy and Planning, Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, the Minister of Foreign Trade, Rodrigo Malmierca, and the President of the Central Bank of Cuba, Ernesto Medina.

García also visited the University of Havana, where he was awarded the title of Visiting Professor and gave a keynote lecture on "Latin America facing a new geopolitical, economic and social global scenario."

In his lecture, held at the Main Hall of the university, Garcíastressed the importance of achieving a higher regional integration as a response to the current global political and economic uncertainly context.

"A serious and consistent integration, without fragmentation, is needed to solve people's problems," García stressed.

Furthermore, in order to strengthen the cooperation for the sustainable development of Cuba, CAF announced the technical support to the University of Havana with central themes that are considered strategic to reach said goal, such as the international integration and production transformation of the country.

According to the announced agreement, CAF will drive the design and implementation of an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center to promote a culture of innovation management by training key players of the national production system, the university, leading scientific and researchers.

The University of Havana is an important social development agent, with 18 schools, 5 branches and 20 research centers that train worldwide recognized professionals. At present, the university has almost 25,000 students and more than 4,000 professors. It is also part of 43 academic and scientific exchange networks and 398 international cooperation agreements.

The cooperation between CAF and the Republic of Cuba has a high impact on the development and integration of the region, it adds value to programs and projects executed by creating and spreading knowledge, so as to contribute to the well-being of the Cuban population by promoting the economic and social development of the country.