Industry

The global economy is entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), or Industry 4.0, based on the application of new digital and automated technologies in production processes and service delivery. These changes are bringing emerging markets improved productivity, as well as risks – namely, reshoring and the displacement of human labour by...

After a stagnant performance in 2017, the retail sector gained momentum in 2018, growing by 6.2%. Inflation was near the central bank’s target at 3.2% during the year, and this combined with the government’s December 2018 decision to increase the minimum salary by 6% for 2019 and general improvements in the country’s economic performance have...

Colombia has a well-established industrial base with a presence in a range of products, from processed foods to vehicle manufacturing. While growth rates for some industrial lines have been robust during the past decade, the economic slowdown experienced in 2016 and 2017 stunted industrial development as a whole during those years, adding to...

With similar geological characteristics to its Andean neighbour Peru, Colombia’s gold potential has long attracted interest from local and international miners. The country’s gold deposits are concentrated in areas with metallogenic belts in the Departments of Antioquia, Santander, Tolima, Huila, Caldas, Nariño, Cauca and Bolívar. Gold was the...

While it is a polymetallic country with robust resources of coal, gold, copper, nickel and emeralds, Colombia’s mining sector remains underdeveloped, accounting for less than 2% of the country’s GDP since 2012. As a result of its potential, past and present administrations have long identified mining as a key pillar of the country’s economic...