SANTO DOMINGO. The Cibao Housing Promoters and Builders Association (APROCOVICI) and the La Altagracia Developers and Builders Association (ADECLA) agreed on the need for the new Minister of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVHED), Jean Luis Rodríguez, to continue the processes initiated in the institution and strengthen coordination with the private sector to face the main challenges of construction and real estate development.
When asked by El Inmobiliario about Rodríguez's appointment, both organizations expressed an open and prudent position.
APROCOVICI, through its president, Mario Bonilla, explained that he cannot yet offer a personal assessment of the new official, as he is unfamiliar with his background and experience in the sector. However, he expressed his hope that the new administration will help strengthen areas where weaknesses persist.
“To be honest, I don’t know him. I don’t know his background or what experience he might have in the sector, but I understand that he came to solve the problems the sector is facing,” said the representative of the Cibao construction workers. Bonilla also spoke positively about Ito Bisonó ’s management of the Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Housing (MIVHED) and highlighted the progress that, in his opinion, began to become evident during his time at the institution.
“I think the numbers speak for themselves. We truly saw the institution awaken, even though it was only seven months old,” he noted.
ADECLA willing to collaborate
Meanwhile, ADECLA welcomed Rodríguez's appointment and expressed its willingness to establish an institutional working relationship based on ongoing technical dialogue, with the aim of identifying the sector's priorities and advancing joint solutions.
The challenges facing the new minister, according to these organizations
For APROCOVICI, one of the main challenges will be to give continuity to the processes that were already underway, especially the digital platform promoted by the Ministry.
The president of the association considered that institutional changes require time to produce results and warned that there are still important aspects to improve.
“There are still many things to do because it is not true that we are going to change everything in such a short time, but we were on the right track,” said engineer Bonilla.
The organization also considered that the permitting process is still not completely resolved, despite the progress made during the previous administration, and therefore believes that this should continue to be a priority for the authorities.
For its part, ADECLA identified among the main challenges the need to continue with the digitization and efficiency of permitting, improve response times and the predictability of processes, as well as strengthen coordination between the different institutions linked to the development of projects.
The association also stated that real estate growth must be accompanied by adequate infrastructure and service planning.
In what areas should resources be concentrated?
In response to this question, ADECLA considered it necessary for public investment to keep pace with real estate growth, especially in areas of rapid expansion such as La Altagracia.
Among the priority areas he highlighted were roads, drinking water supply, sanitation, drainage, energy and public services.
In addition, he proposed continuing to allocate resources to technology, simplifying procedures, and strengthening the technical capabilities of institutions.
APROCOVICI agreed on the importance of strengthening the digital tools and internal processes of MIVHED, particularly those aimed at streamlining procedures and facilitating the execution of construction projects.
How could these problems be solved?
Both organizations pointed to ongoing dialogue between the public and private sectors as one of the main ways to find solutions.
ADECLA proposed establishing permanent working groups between MIVHED, developers, builders and the different guilds of the sector, with a defined technical agenda.
According to the association, these spaces would allow for the identification of the main bottlenecks, the establishment of priorities, the definition of joint solutions, and the monitoring of commitments made.
APROCOVICI also expressed its willingness to collaborate with the new minister and enable the necessary communication channels to contribute to strengthening the institution.
“We opened the door for him so that we can collaborate with him,” his representative said.
Skilled labor, another major challenge
In identifying one of the main obstacles currently facing the sector, ADECLA pointed to the availability of skilled labor as one of the most important challenges.
The organization explained that the sustained growth of real estate activity increasingly demands trained technical and operational personnel, and therefore considered it essential to strengthen training, certification and professionalization programs for the different trades related to construction.
To this challenge he added the need to continue strengthening institutional capacity to support the expansion of the sector, through more agile processes, greater inter-institutional coordination and adequate planning of infrastructure and services.
The sector expects continuity and coordination
Both APROCOVICI and ADECLA agreed that the change of minister should not mean an interruption of the processes that are already underway.
While APROCOVICI places special emphasis on the continuity of the digital platform, permitting processes, and the progress initiated during the previous administration, ADECLA proposes expanding coordination between institutions and the private sector, in addition to addressing the infrastructure and training needs demanded by real estate growth.
Both organizations reiterated their willingness to collaborate with Jean Luis Rodríguez and MIVHED, under the understanding that the main challenges of construction require permanent coordination between the State, developers, builders and the sector's guilds.
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