Reducing trade barriers and procedures, increasing legal security and improving productive infrastructure are part of the changes required by the business sector for the region's economic development.
In Guatemala, the 12th Ibero-American Business Meeting is held, in which the private sector presents proposals to face the current challenges and generate opportunities for the countries of the region.
The drama over the bulk of exports being primary products without added value is unfolding not only in Nicaragua.
The new president of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Nicaragua (APEN), Guillermo Jacoby, has carried out a lucid analysis of the difficulties faced by Nicaraguan exporters in increasing both the volume and the value of its sales abroad, and especially how to make this productive effort sustainable.
In the nineties a village in Costa Rica was populated by dreams of a promising future driven by the exploitation of a gold mine. Today there are only 27 inhabitants, left without hope.
EDITORIAL
An article on Nacion.com reports on the ups and downs of the gold mine project in Crucitas, in Costa Rica, which eventually fell through because environmental forces prevailed over sustainable development, leaving a long series of damages to the country in terms of confidence in the security of investments, tax losses, and mainly in the hopes of human beings who believed in and supported the mine being a catalyst for progress in the area. As usually happens, the only winners were the lawyers who litigated and continue litigating for both sides.
Employers in the region are complaining about a lack of long-term development policies, and are asking for Government transparency, effectiveness and legal certainty, so that they can continue investing in the region.
During a meeting between businessmen and government called 'Expanding opportunities: promoting the private sector and job creation', entrepreneurs from different sectors shared their concerns and views on the investment climate in the region.
A survey carried out by CID-Gallup on the perceptions of Central Americans regarding the direction of their countries shows pessimism in Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Honduras.
From a statement issued by CID-Gallup:
The Dominican Republic, Panama and Nicaragua are the nations in the region with the best direction for the country.
This is the result of a series of public opinion surveys that CID / Gallup Latin America carries out every year in September in Central America and the Dominican Republic. The survey has a minimum reach of 1200 households and is a representative sample of the national population.
Every year Switzerland sells about 50 thousand tons for which it receives $1.98 billion, earning a return on its coffee exports which is 5 times higher than in Germany.
An article on Msn.com reports on a not well known phenomenon practiced in Central America: the value of generating and accumulating knowledge and practicing innovation is much higher than owning and exploiting natural resources.
Avoiding the generation of power using fossil fuels is a necessary goal, but alleviating the energy poverty in which millions of Central Americans find themselves is a priority.
EDITORIAL
Bjorn Lomborg's article published in Laprensagrafica.com analyzes the difficult choice between taking measures to prevent global warming, and facilitating the use of cheap fossil fuels -carbon- for 1,200 million poor people in the world.
The private sector has proposed creating development zones with specific tax laws and tax free status in order to encourage local and foreign investment.
Following a concept created by economist Paul Romer and implemented in cities such as Hong Kong, and proposed in Honduras through the passage of a law last year, Salvadoran businessmen are proposing 29 law reforms in order to create development zones which have their own laws to enhance the competitiveness of companies located within them.
Out of the $80 million awarded in Costa Rica to the Limón Port City Project 5 years ago, only 12% of it has been spent, mainly on paying the salaries of public officials connected to the project.
Editorial
A few months ago a controversy arose in Spain over the allocation of funds for development, such as low-interest financing for development projects by a private construction company.
Naive or something else... ? The European Union will be paying for a local consultant to diagnose the economy of Central American countries, identify potential risks and determinants of development in the region, and propose actions in this regard, in a timeframe of only 55 days.
The required procurement is part of the Regional Project for Support of Central American Economic Integration and Implementation of the Association Agreement (PRAIAA), which is the entity responsible for the hire and the one with the required funds.
Although improvements have been noted, the region's human resources are still far from achieving the level necessary to sustain competitive economies at the global level.
The Human Capital Index, constructed by the World Economic Forum, provides a long-term focus on how nations are developing their human capital and establishing workforces prepared for the demands of the increasingly competitive global economy.