At the launch of Departmental Competitiveness Index (IDC) 2024, carried out by the Private Competitiveness Council and the Universidad del Rosario, it was revealed that Atlántico is positioned as the fourth most competitive department in the country.
With a score of 6.39 out of 10, Atlántico surpassed the departments of Risaralda, Caldas and Santander, with scores of 6.32, 6.27 and 6.24 respectively.
The IDC, which evaluates the competitiveness of the 32 departments of Colombia and Bogotá through 102 indicators distributed in 13 pillars, highlights Atlántico for its performance in several key areas.
Atlántico showed outstanding performance in the market size pillar, achieving a score of 7.4 out of 10. In addition, the department stood out in infrastructure, institutions and the functioning of the financial system, areas in which it also obtained high marks.
In this eleventh edition, only Bogotá (8.14), Antioquia (6.8) and Valle del Cauca (6.41) obtained better grades.
Competitiveness has to be the engine of economic growth; Without competitiveness there is no possibility of advancing in improving the position as a department.
For the governor of Atlántico, Eduardo Verano, this index is a reflection of the policies implemented by the administrations that have governed the department and the collaborative work between the public and private sectors, which has allowed generating positive results in terms of infrastructure, education and health.
“Competitiveness has to be the engine of economic growth; Without competitiveness there is no possibility of advancing in improving the position as a department. We are fourth in the Competitiveness Index and now the great challenge is to identify how we are going to evaluate each of these indicators and begin to create plans and programs with the private, academic and government sectors to improve and compete at the level of the new ones. global challenges,” said the president.
He added that this measurement is key and essential to building a more competitive department. “What is not measured cannot progress, if we do not measure ourselves we have no way to compare ourselves and this must be a constant task, not only in the area of competitiveness, but in all the issues we work on.. We have made significant progress, but it is important that this is a process of collective awareness, a collective challenge with the individual support of each entity, that is a task that all departments of the Colombian Caribbean have to do. It is of no use to us to be an advanced department in terms of competitiveness, if our sister departments and at the national level are not also in the same vein,” highlighted the governor.
These are the good indicators that the Atlantico showed
Among the indicators evaluated, Atlántico occupies the third position nationally in two of the 13 pillars, standing out in the market size pillar, where it obtained a score of 7.4 out of 10; and in infrastructure, with a score of 6.07.
In terms of market size, the department of Atlántico presents the best performance in the external market size sub-pillar where it achieves a score of 7.3 out of 10. In the case of infrastructure, it registers the highest rating in the electricity coverage indicator (9.99), percentage of primary roads in good condition (9.86) and aqueduct coverage (9.74).
The department’s infrastructure was highlighted as one of the key points for competitiveness.
Photo:Taken from social networks
In health, Atlántico shows outstanding performance in the indicators prenatal controls, life expectancy at birth and infant mortality, where it obtains scores greater than 8.0 out of 10. However, it presents challenges in the specialized doctors indicator (3.5 specialist doctors for every 10 thousand inhabitants).
The vice president of the Private Competitiveness Council, Daniel Gómez, explained that Atlántico concentrates its main opportunities for improvement in the pillars of basic and secondary education, functioning of the labor market and environmental sustainability. “These are areas in which the Atlantic in particular requires closing gaps in relation to the rest of the country,” she said.
The Secretary of Atlantic Planning, Cecilia Arangoindicated that this measurement is a necessary task to know where to focus the department’s actions and thus achieve stable competitiveness.
We have to learn to look within and see what indicators we need to improve. They are all above the national average and that is a sign that we have been working in an articulated and comprehensive way to improve competitiveness for all our actors.
“We have to learn to look within and see what indicators we have to improve. They are all above the national average and that is a sign that we have been working in an articulated and comprehensive way to improve competitiveness for all our actors. “Competitiveness is everyone’s business and it has to be built that way,” said the official.
The technical secretary of the Atlantic Regional Commission for Competitiveness and Innovation, Gabriel Orozco, He highlighted that the results presented by the IDC demonstrate that the department continues to remain not only one of the most competitive, but also as an example to follow for the Caribbean region.
“Without a doubt, we have many aspects to improve, such as closing the gaps in education and achieving synergy between the different sectors, so that we can continue advancing and be the territory that allows the energy transition, real equity and development capacity. of all its inhabitants,” Orozco added.
During the event, the department of Atlántico was recognized with the award for the best effort for competitiveness, which was presented to Governor Eduardo Verano from the hands of the rector (e) of the Universidad del Rosario, Gustavo Quintero.
“Atlántico has demonstrated an improvement in the strategies and allocation of resources used to develop and strengthen the capabilities and competitive advantages of its territory. The department recorded progress in the pillars of institutions, environmental sustainability, labor market and market size,” Quintero said.
Upon receiving the recognition, Governor Verano thanked the entities that make up the Departmental Competitiveness Index, as well as the Barranquill Chamber of Commerceoh the Simon Bolivar Universityand insisted that its objective is that the Atlantic can contribute to other territories also consolidating in terms of competitiveness from the Caribbean RAP.
