ProDominicana, Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic.
Runner up: Best use of information technology
PRODOMINICANA
PRODOMINICANA
DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM
‘ProDominicana understands and firmly believes that the cooperation with local and international partners is vital for effectively reaching those who need these tools and resources.’
Angelina Biviana Riveiro Disla Executive Director
WHAT THE JUDGES SAY
‘Data mining - used to identify opportunities and threats on behalf of clients.’
‘Use of AI - it democratizes access to information.’
‘Good monitoring channels - with strategy to tackle new challenges as they emerge.’
‘Functionality - interesting and innovative.’
ProInteligencia, a cost-effective online export and investment information service, has contributed to a rapid rise in exports and foreign investment.
Digital tools can be game changers. The Dominican Republic’s market intelligence portal, ProInteligencia, makes it easier to trade, invest and receive financing for the country’s micro, small and medium-sized companies. Part of an innovation project in the country’s 2030 national development strategy, the initiative received a national public innovation award in 2023 from the President’s administrative ministry.
Time is money
Implemented using existing resources, the digital ecosystem saves 50% of costs and 200% of time to answer queries and issue intelligence reports.
The platforms contributed to record exports in 2021-2023, with an average growth rate of 6.2%. The country is the largest foreign investment recipient in Central America and the Caribbean, with record values in 2022 and 2023 exceeding $4 billion.
A rapidly evolving service
ProDominicana developed the initiative in response to a 2017 Inter-American Development Bank study that noted, among other issues, duplication and bottlenecks in export promotion activities in the business ecosystem, outdated market studies, and the need for a single point of entry. The trade and investment promotion agency was rebranded and reorganized in 2020, and outreach to the business community was conducted to determine how to address their needs.
Surveys and business dialogues in 2020 showed that insufficient information was limiting export growth. For example, company shipments were frequently detained due to lack of information on technical requirements and standards compliance.
In response, ProDominicana developed a digital approach to help address business concerns. They used data mining to interconnect sources and databases for global exports and imports, foreign investment flows in the world, and economic, social and demographic figures and consolidated the information into three tools.
- Requirements for Access to International Markets is a digital platform for technical requirements, especially in preferential markets.
- Market Data offers world economy statistics and data about the country’s commercial relations with the rest of the world.
- Market Intelligence Alert System sends out information on risks, regulations, situations and commercial opportunities.
In 2024, ProDominicana merged these tools into one platform: ProInteligencia. They added foreign direct investment information and up to date market studies. To encourage uptake of the integrated tool, ProDominicana carried out training with critical multipliers: the foreign ministry, business schools, industry associations and bilateral chambers of commerce.
ProDominicana is planning the next upgrade which will include improved visuals for usability, chatbots, satisfaction surveys, multi-language navigation, generation of statistical reports, a mobile application and an expanded dataset.
Dashboard offers business intelligence and alerts.
MEASURING SUCCESS
ProInteligencia uses Google Analytics to track users. The data market tool, for example, received over 5.000 users in a year. They had 100.000 user interactions as well as inquiries from the United States, France, Spain, Peru, Costa Rica and others.
ProInteligencia includes a comprehensive dashboard dedicated to exports by women-led businesses with insights into export values, number of companies, distribution across provinces, and other metrics. It was recognized as a best practice during the 2023 International Annual SheTrades Hubs Meeting.
ProDominicana also developed an interactive component to monitor Dominican exports shipments detained in the United States. It shows the main companies and products affected, and reasons for detention. This information was used to prioritize products selected for the tool, to help the country’s most affected businesses.
‘With ProInteligencia I have identified emerging market opportunities which has been crucial to diversify and expand my exports. This platform has been essential to driving my business towards smarter, data-driven decisions’
José Mejia International Sales Manager, Peravia Industrial
Data anaylsis and statistics on international trade and foreign direct investment in the Dominican Republic.
