Cuba expands sectors open to small private businesses, Diaz-Canel says

HAVANA — Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced that new sectors are being opened to small private businesses across the country, as the communist government extends the range of activities permitted to private enterprise. The move allows small-scale private operators to expand into additional areas of the economy, building on steps Cuba has taken in recent years to gradually enlarge its private sector. Government officials said the aim is to enable small businesses to play a more active role in production and services, part of efforts to ease Cuba's ongoing economic difficulties. The announcement follows years of incremental reforms that have widened the space for self-employment and small private firms on the island. No further details on the specific sectors covered by the new rules or their implementation timeline were immediately available.