12th February 2024

Cuba’s Council of State has appointed Joaquín Alonso, the Minister-President of the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC), as Minister of Economy and Planning, removing Alejandro Gil from the post.

The decision to appoint Alonso and make other changes was revealed in a Council of State declaration on 2 February, published the following day in Granma under the minimal headline ‘Council of State approved cadre movements.’

Just days before, on 29 January as Minister, Gil had outlined to the Council of Ministers the timetable for implementing approved policy reforms intended to restore economic growth (Cuba Briefing 5 February 2024).

The declaration said that Gil, would be released from his responsibilities as both Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Planning. The decision was taken, it said, with the prior approval of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) and on the proposal of President Díaz-Canel.

Radio Havana reported that the decision related to “movements of cadres in portfolios of great economic impact.”

Alonso will be replaced by Juana Lilia Delgado as Minister President of the BCC.  Delgado has previously been Director of Operations and General Director of Treasury at the BCC, Vice Minister at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, and worked at Cuba’s Permanent Commission for Implementation and Development.

Alonso, who is 60, reportedly accumulated extensive management experience during his time at the National Bank of Cuba, Banco Popular de Ahorro, Cubalse Commerce and Services Corporation, the non-banking financial institution Casas de Cambio SA, and most recently as Minister President of the Central Bank of Cuba. He also served as provincial vice president of the Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba.

In a further change, Dr Eduardo Martinez, President of Cuba’s highly successful BioCubaFarma business group, has been appointed Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, in place of  Elba Pérez who had held the position for  over 11 years. Dr Martinez, a deputy to the National Assembly, is respected for the innovative work he led on the development and production of Cuba’s pentavalent vaccine and the national role he played during the fight against COVID 19. 

It was also announced that Alberto López, the Governor of the province of Villa Clara and a National Assembly Deputy, has been appointed as Minister of the Food Industry, replacing Manuel Santiago Sobrino. 

The Council of State noted that “all the colleagues released from their respective positions were recognised for their effort and dedication in carrying out such high responsibilities and in the coming days they will be assigned new missions.”

Although there has been no further official comment on the decision to remove Gil, speculation continues as to whether it relates to the sudden decision in late January to delay at the eleventh hour the implementation of fuel and transport price rises announced in December. The increases formed a key part of an integrated group of measures intended to rectify past mistakes and generate renewed growth.

It is not now clear whether the overall package of measures agreed to late last year will be implemented within the timetable planned. They were first announced by the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, in December, although at the time Cuba’s President cautioned that they should only be introduced gradually due to their sensitive nature.

In an apparent expression of concern about the country’s economic and social fragility, and in response to many Cubans’ doubts about the impact of the proposed reforms, Díaz-Canel stressed at that time the need for the new policies to be implemented with great sensitivity. Ministers and government, he said, “must constantly study impacts, states of opinion, and make the necessary corrections.” (Cuba Briefing 2 January 2024).

In recent weeksformer President Raul Castro, PresidentDíaz-Canel, and the Secretary of the Central Committee of Cuba’s Communist Party, Roberto Morales, have all stressed “the decisive importance” of maintaining national unity this year. (Cuba Briefing 8 January 2024).

Gil’s departure from office additionally coincides with government’s recent admission that the 2021 economic ordering task failed, surging inflation, and a growing and huge variance between the official and street rate for the Cuban Peso.

Following his replacement as Minister of the Economy and Planning, Gil noted on X in a tweet addressed to President Díaz-Canel: “It has been a pride and an honour to work alongside you in the service of our people and our Revolution. As always, I’m at your command, to continue, “ to which Díaz-Canel replied by sending a “Grateful hug” to all those replaced, noting that “they gave their energies in very hard years for the country” and wishing success to the new appointees.

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Photo: Reuters/Amr Alfiky