GESEC Diploma Successfully Concludes, Strengthening Capacities for Sustainable Development in Cuba

• The GESEC diploma program included the participation of 63 students from the provinces of Pinar del Río and Cienfuegos.

Between November 2025 and April 2026, the Diploma in Sustainable Management and Linkages for Economic Actors in the Cuban Context (GESEC) was successfully implemented. This initiative was promoted within the framework of the project “Municipal climate governance and sustainable agroforestry food production with low emissions and adapted to climate change in Cienfuegos and Pinar del Río, Cuba” (CIENPINOS), funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and implemented by CATIE’s Environmental Economics and Sustainable Agribusiness Unit in cooperation with the CIENPINOS project team.

The program aimed to strengthen the capacities of economic actors, producers, and entrepreneurs from the provinces of Pinar del Río and Cienfuegos in key areas such as sustainable management, business models, governance, finance, and productive linkages.

With a duration of six months and a structure of six modules, the diploma program was delivered virtually and asynchronously, using a WhatsApp community as the main interaction channel. This methodology made it possible to maintain continuity in the training process despite connectivity limitations and challenges associated with electricity supply in the country.

As a central component of the training process, participants developed final projects focused on the practical application of the knowledge acquired. These projects addressed initiatives related to sustainable value chains, agroindustry, circular economy, bio-inputs, agrotourism, and agroecological production, demonstrating strong implementation potential within the territories.

The evaluation of the diploma program reflected high levels of satisfaction, with scores above 4.8 out of 5 in aspects such as content quality, methodology, and coordination. One hundred percent of respondents stated that they now have more tools to strengthen their ventures, and 96% indicated that they would recommend the program.

“With the support of the topics studied in the diploma program, we are now able to better understand the importance of the entrepreneurial initiatives being developed in the territory and apply all the techniques learned throughout the course. We believe opportunities should be expanded so that more small entrepreneurs can participate in diploma programs like this and in other equally important topics for business development in Cuba,” expressed one of the diploma participants.

The successful completion of the GESEC diploma program reaffirms the importance of this type of initiative for strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cuba by promoting sustainable, resilient, and innovative business models with a direct impact on communities.