The president of the Dominican Republican says increasing numbers of call centers in his country are a powerful asset in the war on poverty.
President Leonel Fernandez told the Global Summit for the Americas on Tuesday that the island's 35 major call and customer-service centers provide some 12,000 Dominicans with the kinds of well-paying jobs that are otherwise tough to find.
The Dominican Today newspaper said Wednesday that Fernandez used his speech to U.S. telecom and IT executives to drum up support for expansion of the fledgling call-center industry.
"Maybe we for the first time in our history have the true opportunity to eradicate poverty and increase the standard of living of Dominicans at levels without precedents," Fernandez said.
Fernandez opined that the lowering of trade barriers in the Caribbean could increase willingness among foreign telecoms to locate operations in the country.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Virtual Qumran Sheds New Light on Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery Site
The mysterious archaeological ruins located paces from where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered 60 years ago served first as a fortress before being adopted by Jewish religious sect, two UCLA researchers contend.
For FTC, e-commerce means managing 'mice'
Only on the Internet could a site hawking dancing hamster animations, accompanied by hamster-sung harmonies, be paid advertising royalties from corporate giants like Wal-Mart and American Express. But the future earning power of the darlings on Hamsterdance.com could be slowed by a few bad "mice."
Looking past the 'down low:' New research
The popular media in the U.S. have focused too much on moral issues surrounding black bisexual men who do not disclose their same-sex behaviors to female lovers, otherwise known as men "on the Down Low," with this focus creating a stigma that interferes with effective public health strategies, says Indiana University sexual health expert Brian Dodge.
Gulf Coast braces, flees as deadly Gustav takes aim at US (Update)
More than a million people fled Louisiana as killer Hurricane Gustav on Sunday roared toward New Orleans, a fragile US coastal city still deeply scarred by the devastating 2005 Katrina storm.
Gustav becomes 'dangerous' as it bears down on Cuba
Hurricane Gustav swelled into a "dangerous" category three hurricane Saturday as it bore down on Cuba after ripping through the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica, killing 85 people.
Deadly Gustav lashes Jamaica, eyes Cuba, US
Tropical Storm Gustav regained hurricane strength as it churned toward Cuba Friday, leaving 78 people dead in its wake, as New Orleans began voluntary evacuations ahead of the storm's projected arrival next week.
Death toll climbs as Gustav barrels through Caribbean
Tropical Storm Gustav battered Jamaica on Friday, dumping rain and ripping roofs off homes and threatened to grow into a hurricane after leaving 59 people dead in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Deadly Gustav churns toward Cuba, Gulf of Mexico
Tropical Storm Gustav gathered punch as it churned toward Cuba and the United States Wednesday after lashing Haiti and the Dominican Republic with hurricane force winds and rain that killed 16 people.