Abelardo de la Espriella and Business Leaders Launch Marshall Plan for Choco
As promised during his visit to Choco following the earthquake that affected the department and 14 others across Colombia, President Abelardo de la Espriella returned to the regional capital, Quibdó, on Monday, Sept. 7, accompanied by several of the country’s most prominent business leaders.
After the meeting, which was also attended by Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba and several cabinet ministers, De la Espriella informed the country of the conclusions of the meeting, which point to effective solutions for that region of the country, one of the most neglected and with high poverty rates.
President De la Espriella has dubbed the package of initiatives the “Marshall Plan for Choco,” a reference to the U.S. economic aid program launched in 1948 to help rebuild Western European countries devastated by World War II.
The first thing the president did before announcing the commitments of his Government and the business leaders was to recall that they had already made a joint contribution exceeding two trillion pesos (US$641 million dollars) to address the emergency caused by the earthquake of last August 10.
The first announcement has to do with the construction of a project to promote the economic and tourism recovery of the capital of Choco: the construction of the boardwalk, whose financing was guaranteed with the support of the business sector and the national, departmental and municipal governments. The project, in addition to a gastronomic boardwalk, includes another space on the other side of the Atrato River.
De la Espriella also reported that there will be seed capital of 5 billion pesos (US$1.6 million) for 1,000 entrepreneurs affected by the earthquake. The money will be provided by the National Government and the companies Colombina, Bancolombia and Tecnoglass, through iNNpulsa, with an amount of five million pesos (US$1,600) for each business.
At the same time, he presented a package of one trillion pesos (US$320 million) that includes five major roads, connectivity works and the airport in the municipality of Bahia Solano. The financing will be divided between tax-funded works and investment by the business leaders who were with the president in Choco.
Likewise, a special regime will be created to attract private investment to Choco, which will be studied by the Ministry of Finance and will include legal and tax stability mechanisms to facilitate the arrival of companies to the department.
The mining sector will also have a special strategy, focused on providing greater legal certainty to investors, advancing the formalization of the activity and promoting the transformation of minerals in the region.
There will also be energy modernization initiatives, with transmission works and solar energy projects for communities in the Choco Pacific region, as well as solutions to guarantee energy supply to hospitals while medium-term works advance.
Multiple tasks for the Government and business leaders in Choco
Little by little, the initiatives in which the business leaders will participate began to emerge. For example, Nubank will develop a banking and financial inclusion strategy for young people, entrepreneurs, small merchants and producers, with digital savings, payment and credit solutions.
The Santo Domingo Foundation, together with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and Fontur, will work in Nuqui and Bahia Solano to promote their development as nature tourism destinations.
The economic conglomerates Olimpica, Nutresa and Colombina said they will purchase directly from Choco producers, with the aim of facilitating access for these products to new markets.
The Central Mayorista de Antioquia announced that it will purchase the production of viche that had been ready for the San Pacho festivities, suspended because of the earthquake, in order to support producers in the department. It is an artisanal and ancestral alcoholic beverage originating in Colombia’s Pacific region.
Grupo Nutresa committed to providing 50 scholarships for students from Choco, while Nubank will contribute another 50, completing 100 scholarships for young people from the department.
The National Government and the business leaders said they will continue studying the feasibility of an interoceanic canal or a railway that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Choco, a long-standing aspiration that would directly compete with the Panama Canal and would boost the development of Choco.
On a smaller scale, and with more immediate implementation, is the issue of connectivity. The package includes the construction and improvement of five major roads to connect Choco with other departments. Among the projects are Quibdo-Animas-Novita, San Jose del Palmar-El Cairo, Istmina-Puerto Meluk, the road to Aldarin and Tutunendo-Itcho.
The announcements by De la Espriella and Colombian business leaders constitute a balm for the inhabitants of Choco and one of the most hopeful initiatives to bring that region out of the historical backwardness to which it has been subjected.