The transport sector is the third-largest sector as a source of new employment and employs 8.5% of the workforce. The sector is poised to continue to grow over the coming years, which makes the issue of infrastructure expansion critical. High logistical costs make Colombian businesses less competitive internationally, but infrastructure investment programmes, such as the 4G programme and the PMTI,…
Interview:René Puché Given that Colombia’s ports are far from the main centres of production and consumption, how can firms be encouraged to relocate nearer to them? RENE PUCHÉ: This is one of the biggest challenges that Colombia is facing today to developing its industrial sector and boosting foreign trade. The first task is to demonstrate the advantages of moving closer to existing infrastructure,…
Interview:Juan Camilo Samacá What needs to be done for Colombia to reach international levels of competitiveness in logistics? JUAN CAMILO SAMACÁ: If we take as a reference the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index 2016, which reported that after evaluating factors such as customs processes, infrastructure, transport, and quality and capacity of related services, Colombia ranked 60th…
Colombia’s economy experienced a boom over the last decade, with per-capita GDP more than doubling and foreign direct investment growing tenfold. Infrastructure and transport development, however, has been struggling to keep pace with the country’s rapidly expanding economy. Public investment in infrastructure currently makes up just 1.3% of GDP, below that of Colombia’s Latin American…
Colombia’s ambitious fourth generation (4G) road programme is a key part of the government’s transport infrastructure development strategy. The programme aims to build 45 new highway links and upgrade and renovate existing stretches of roads across the country for a total investment of $24bn. Most of the concessions are public-initiative, public-private partnership (PPP) agreements, although…
With oil accounting for roughly half of Colombia’s total exports, Latin America’s fourth-largest economy is feeling the effects of lower international oil prices. The negative impact of lower prices was nonetheless offset by positive performances by the retail, agriculture and financial services sectors, ensuring continued growth in 2015. Higher growth is expected in 2016 and beyond, driven in
In English Colombia está desplegando varios proyectos de expansión de sus principales aeropuertos con el fin de hacer frente a un creciente número de pasajeros e impulsar el sector turístico en auge. Un total de 52 aeropuertos, de los cuales 31 están ubicados en ciudades grandes, se verán beneficiados de una inversión de US$2,900 millones para incrementar su capacidad, según…
The cities of Colombia are becoming increasingly connected, thanks to new urban transport systems that are being built to meet demand from a rising number of daily commuters. Economic and urban growth has made traffic difficult to manage, especially in the bigger cities, such as the capital, Bogotá, and Medellín. A city of 8m people, Bogotá is increasingly congested. A study by the Office of National…
As the Colombian economy continues to feel the negative impact of reduced commodity prices, the quest to improve national transport networks has become more important. Although the country posted annual growth of above 4% between 2010 and 2014, more conservative prospects for 2016 have brought caution, especially with the fall in the price of oil – the country’s main export – and the devaluation…
Interview:Alejandro Costa What port management upgrades are needed to meet the projected increase in demand? ALEJANDRO COSTA: Colombia’s defective transport infrastructure has a direct impact on its competitiveness, logistics performance and, more generally, on its potential for economic growth. In order to achieve the necessary upgrades, Colombia needs to invest in infrastructure.…
