Today the dawn ceased to be a temptation;
tomorrow, one day, a new sun will rise that will illuminate all the land that the martyrs and heroes bequeathed to us with abundant rivers of milk and honey.Anthem of the Sandinista National Liberation Front.
Next Sunday, November 8th, marks the 50th anniversary of the death in combat of Commander Carlos Fonseca Amador, founder of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) of Nicaragua. Commander Carlos Fonseca Amador’s dream was to achieve a free, sovereign, and literate nation, where the peasant and working classes of his country would be empowered.
Carlos Fonseca promised that when the FSLN came to power, peasants would be taught to read and write, a promise that was officially fulfilled with the Great National Literacy Crusade, successfully concluded on August 23, 1980. As new combatants of peasant origin were joining the FSLN struggle, Commander Carlos ordered: “Teach them to read as well.” With this, he conveyed the idea that the revolution was not only an armed uprising, but also a cultural and social transformation to eradicate ignorance and the marginalization of the people. It is important to remember that Nicaragua’s illiteracy rate, inherited from the Somoza dictatorship, exceeded 50% of the population.
This year, 2026, classrooms house 1.8 million students enrolled in more than 10,000 public and private schools, with a teaching staff of 62,557 teachers nationwide. For 2027, Nicaragua’s education budget is approximately $553 million, representing 12% of total government spending.
In the area of health, in the last 19 years, from 2007 to this year 2026, the public health system has been expanded with the construction of 43 new hospitals (going from 33 public hospitals in 2006 to a total of 79 to 80 at present), surpassing in this period of time everything that has been built throughout the history of the Central American country in this area.
Likewise, the health network, which includes primary, departmental, and regional hospitals, was expanded with the construction of 14 health centers, 492 health posts, and 158 maternity homes. Additionally, 101 care facilities for people with special needs (nonexistent in 2007) were established, and 70 fully equipped mobile clinics were made available for community care, all for the benefit of the poorest people who had previously been excluded from healthcare.
I say this from personal experience, when in the early 1980s I traveled along the Caribbean coast and visited communities where no doctor had ever been, and where life expectancy at birth was 43 years, while people of 35 were considered elderly. The Cuban doctors who arrived in that region were horrified to find that malaria, tuberculosis, and venereal diseases affected over 70% of the population in those communities.
Overall, life expectancy in the country was 57.8 years. The Sandinista revolution (despite the bloody war imposed by the United States that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths) raised it to 63.9 years in 1990, and it now stands at 75.8 years, an increase of 4.5 years since 2007.
On another level, Commander Carlos Fonseca maintained that social change required both political organization and ideological training, drawing inspiration from the ideas of Augusto C. Sandino and scientific socialism. Likewise, the founder of the FSLN dreamed of a free homeland. His vision encompassed national dignity, sovereignty in the face of the Somoza dictatorship, and the construction of a just society for all Nicaraguans. Today, the Nicaraguan government, led by Co-Presidents Commander Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, defends its project as a model of social justice, the restoration of rights, the eradication of poverty, and peace through Christianity, socialism, and solidarity. The policies implemented by the government guarantee well-being through social programs, free healthcare and education, infrastructure projects, support for agriculture, and the defense of national sovereignty against foreign interference.
It’s worth noting that over 64.7% of the 2027 budget is allocated to programs and projects focused on poverty reduction, health, education, and public infrastructure. Nicaragua’s projected growth for 2026 is estimated at between 3.5% and 4.5% by year’s end, following a 4.1% expansion during the first half of the year. Economic activity has been driven primarily by construction (with increases exceeding 30% in the second quarter thanks to public and private investment), mining (gold and silver extraction), commerce, and tourism.
Between January and June 2026, total exports reached $5.132 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of 15.6% compared to the same period in 2025. The leading products are gold, coffee, and beef, which spearhead the country’s export dynamism.
Regarding social security, it is worth noting that the number of workers affiliated with the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute (INSS) increased by 1.4% year-on-year until September 2026, which is equivalent to more than 11,500 additional formal jobs compared to the end of 2025.
On the other hand, in October 2026, the Central Bank of Nicaragua adjusted its year-end inflation projection, raising it from an initial range of 2.5%–3.5% to a new estimate of 3.5% to 4.5%, due to international price trends and external factors. At the end of this year, the country is expected to show a fiscal surplus for the seventh consecutive year.
In the last 50 years since the death in combat of Commander Carlos Fonseca, the country has gone through the defeat of the Somoza dictatorship in 1979, ten years of Sandinista government besieged with blood and fire by the United States that led to a neoliberal regression for 17 years until the FSLN returned to power to begin a second stage characterized by the consolidation of Sandinismo in the 21st century.
In this context, and despite the attempted coup in 2018, the Nicaraguan economy shows sustained growth and macroeconomic resilience. Recognizing this reality, the World Bank reported growth of 4.9%, driven by key sectors of its economy. Likewise, the Executive Secretariat of the Central American Monetary Council has noted on several occasions that Nicaragua temporarily leads the GDP growth rates in Central America, surpassing the regional average.
The country’s macroeconomic environment is stable. Inflation stood at 2.1% in 2025 and is projected to reach 2.9% in 2026 due to the conflict in West Asia. Public debt decreased to 48.1% of GDP in 2025 and is projected to continue declining to 46.7% in 2027. International reserves are estimated at US$8.2 billion in 2026, equivalent to 7.5 months of imports. Poverty is expected to decrease to 12.8% in 2026 and 12.4% in 2027 (based on the poverty line of US$4.20 a day, 2021 PPP).
In strategic terms, it’s worth noting that the country transformed its production matrix, transitioning from a purely agro-export economy (traditionally focused on coffee, meat, and gold) to a mixed model. The so-called “popular and family economy” (small businesses, artisans, and farmers’ cooperatives) gained significant strength, and has come to generate a majority of the country’s employment and food supply. This has attracted investments that have been established in industrial free zones. Similarly, trade agreements were strengthened, boosting non-traditional exports and generating greater exchange rate and fiscal stability.
In terms of infrastructure, the country’s transformation has been radical, presenting a new face to the world. During the Sandinista government, unprecedented road infrastructure projects were completed, most notably the construction of the highway that, for the first time in history, connected the Pacific region with the Caribbean coast. Access to electricity was also significantly expanded, with pioneering investment in wind and renewable energy projects.
Road construction in Nicaragua has experienced sustained growth, increasing from just over 600 km in 2007 to more than 5,500 km today. This has facilitated the transport of agricultural products, boosted tourism in coastal areas, and reduced logistics costs by connecting 147 of the country’s 153 municipalities.
Among the most important road projects is the coastal highway along the Pacific coast. This is one of the flagship programs, designed to cover approximately 335 to 407 km, connecting dozens of Pacific beaches from the southern border in Rivas to the northern border in Chinandega. Other major projects include the Estelí bypass, the grade-separated interchange at Km 9.5 on the Southern Highway (Managua), the Rubén Darío roundabout (Metrocentro) also in Managua, and the establishment of connectivity along the Caribbean coast and in rural areas.
Among the largest projects undertaken by the Sandinista government is the Punta Huete International Airport, located in San Francisco Libre, about 58 kilometers north of Managua. It will have a 4F classification (the highest from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for large aircraft such as the Airbus A380 or the Boeing 747). Its runway will measure 3,600 meters long and 75 meters wide, making it the largest in Central America. It is estimated to handle up to 3.5 million passengers and more than 35,000 flights annually, in addition to 60,000 tons of cargo. Currently, construction is approximately 34% complete, and the metal structure of the passenger terminal is over 97% finished, with its delivery projected for October 2028.
In its process of opening up to the world, Nicaragua is also in the midst of constructing the deep-water port of Bluefields, a maritime infrastructure project in the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, whose first stage is under construction and is expected to be completed in October 2029.
The project, located approximately 2 km south of the city of Bluefields, aims to transform Nicaragua into a transoceanic nation by providing direct access to the Caribbean Sea and reducing its reliance on ports in Honduras and Costa Rica. The first phase has an estimated cost of $330 million (with an allocated budget of $106.3 million in 2026), while the total project cost is estimated at around $500 million.
This port will be connected to the Pacific region via an 11-km access road from Kukra Hill to Falso Bluff and a 167-meter bridge over the Kukra River (already completed). For those unfamiliar with the situation and who might consider these figures insignificant, it’s worth noting that in 2007, well into the 21st century, Nicaragua’s two coasts were completely isolated by land, except for a small dirt road passable only during the dry season. In 1979, the inhabitants of the Nicaraguan Caribbean (mostly of indigenous origin) still referred to the Pacific coast as “Spaniards.”
Today, 50 years after the death in combat of Commander Carlos Fonseca Amador, we can say with Commander Tomás Borge and together with all the Nicaraguan people: “Carlos, the dawn is no longer a temptation.” What better tribute than this!