Mexico: Jobs in the Caribbean are being promoted by the Mexican government

The government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador plans to invest in job creation in the Caribbean by promoting programs that have already begun in southern Mexico and some Central American countries to reduce migration flows, a senior official said.

The “Sembrando Vida” (“Sowing Life”) and “Jovenes Construyendo el Futuro” (“Young People Build the Future”) programs, respectively a tree planting initiative and a youth employment program, are among the investments that Lopez Obrador is also seeking. to be made in poor areas of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to slow the expatriation of their inhabitants.

“We have already reached an agreement with Haiti and are in talks with Cuba,” Elena Carrigo, executive director of the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID), told El Universal.

Mexico and Havana signed a memorandum of understanding on December 22 for the implementation of rural development programs in the territory of Cuba. This will include job creation.

Mexico signed a similar agreement with Haiti in November and intends to negotiate with the Dominican Republic soon, Ms. Carigio told Universal.

The Mexican government intends to allocate about $ 31 million to the countries that have joined these programs, while the Caribbean countries are expected to receive slightly lower amounts, always according to Ms. Carigio.

Arrests of illegal immigrants at the US-Mexico border rose to record levels in 2021. Among them were tens of thousands of Haitians and Cubans.

The Mexican government has repeatedly called on Washington to invest in development projects in Central America. He assured last month that Joe Biden’s government had agreed to contribute to its efforts.

SOURCE: AMPE