The infrastructure sector closed a two-day event this Fridaywhich were key to determining that there are key points that allow them to enhance in Colombia.
Additionally, it was concluded that the Government must move forward in building bridges with the private sector, as has happened in countries with left-wing governments.
This was said by the president of the Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure (CCI), Juan Martín Caicedo, who closed the 2024 Infrastructure Meeting.
This was an event that the CCI Antioquia held during this week and of which Valora Analitik was half an ally.
Keys to the infrastructure sector in Colombia
“With other leftist regimes it has been possible to advance from the private sector in terms of construction, rehabilitation and operation and maintenance,” said the union leader.
In his opinion, this has happened in countries like Chile, Brazil and Mexico, where there has been good symbiosis between State institutions and the private sector.
In fact, he indicated that only in Mexico there was a case in which no progress was made, in relation to the construction of trains and railways by the Army.
However, in general, these countries have managed to move forward and have carried out key actions for the infrastructure sector.
Contributions from the private sector
In any case, two initiatives were also highlighted at the CCI Antioquia event. that have allowed progress on this front, particularly from the regions.
This was led by Julián Otálvaro, market development leader at Cementos Argos, who pointed out that it has been possible thanks to mechanisms such as royalties and works for taxes.
The businessman highlighted, above all, the company’s progress in this last component, while pointing out that the Government has talked about the possibility of raising the ceiling to $2 billion.
Today, this cap is at $1 billion and could be increased, but everything will depend on whether there is fiscal space to do so.
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Aside from the above, he stated that the program has several challenges, such as the fact that infrastructure projects must be structured “very well and rigorously.”
The above, taking into account that they cannot have additions, that is, they must be carried out with the exact resources that are approved.
Economic outlook
On the other hand, the 2024 Infrastructure Meeting also had the participation of former minister Juan Carlos Echeverry, who pointed out that the country’s challenges are great.
In particular, he noted that Colombia It should aim you to make decisions that allow more investments to arrive.
“We have to do fundamentally different things to attract more capital and put more technology on top of that capital. We have between 15 and 17 million people who could work more productively, but we are underemployed in the country,” he stated.
And he added: “We do have the potential in Colombia, but we have to learn something from the Middle East, which has to do with ideology, pro-market and opening up to a lot of things.”
Finally, Echeverry noted that Econcept hopes that, this year, GDP grows 1.4%, increases to 2.8% in 2025 and reaches 3% in 2026.
