Miguel Díaz-Canel urged companies linked to the university sector to take advantage of the powers granted by the Government and to be able to reinvent themselves and compete, at a time when the island's economy continues to undergo a deep crisis.
"Now they must take advantage of all the powers granted to the companies," asserted Díaz-Canel during a visit on Thursday to CETA S.A., the Interface Society of Science and Technology of the 'José Antonio Echeverría' Technological University of Havana (CUJAE), as reported by the Cuban Presidency.
The head of state toured the facilities of the entity accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez Díaz and other officials, and urged companies to achieve something that the state-owned business system has not accomplished for decades: to sustainably drive the country's economy.
CETA S.A., established in August 2020, aims to connect the scientific and technological outcomes of universities with the productive and service sectors.
The visit brought the official discourse on efficiency, innovation, and business competitiveness back to the forefront, while the country faces serious economic difficulties, a shortage of foreign currency, and a prolonged contraction in productive activity.
Danae Pigueiras Otero, president of CETA S.A., stated that the entity has achieved results in areas such as engineering, architecture, internationalization, and export. However, the information disseminated by the Presidency did not provide figures regarding income, exports, international contracts, or the concrete economic impact of these results.
The management recognized the importance of generating income through foreign sales. "I believe this is one of the things the country needs most," they stated when referring to exports, an activity they described as "one of the fundamental elements" of the business.
More calls to transform the economy
Pigueiras also noted that CETA is involved in the "economic transformations" driven by the Government and defended the role of universities in its implementation within the business sector.
"We have our own capabilities, and we have developed them through management," the executive stated, highlighting among the priorities "to manage efficiently" and to use science to solve companies' problems.
Díaz-Canel's call to take advantage of new business powers comes as Cuban authorities continue to seek ways to revive an economy that struggles to consistently provide basic goods and services to the population.
In light of this reality, the Government insists on concepts such as innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness, although the official information about the visit did not present indicators that would allow measuring to what extent the reforms and interface societies are generating the economic results that the government discourse promises.
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