Guatemala City, by Jenny Herrera -AGN- On Thursday, President Bernardo Arévalo and Vice President Karin Herrera participated in the third International Logistics Forum closing ceremony organized by the Guatemalan Chamber of Industry -CIG-. At the event, the president announced the planned goals in the area of infrastructure.
The business sector presented the report Propuestas del Sector Industrial en Infraestructura Vial y Logística 2024 (Industrial Sector Proposals in Road Infrastructure and Logistics 2024) to the president and vice president. The document contains the results of the first Guatemalan and Dominican Republic Logistics Mission conducted by the CIG and the Gremial Logística de Guatemala -GLC-.
In his speech, the president indicated that he is working for the country’s transformation and that everyone will be able to grow and prosper.
President Arévalo stated, “We are a society of hard-working, entrepreneurial, and optimistic people, who see opportunities where everyone else sees problems, who see possibilities of encounter and coincidence where others perceive conflict.”
He informed that in the last 38 years, the private and public sectors have contributed to reaching important macroeconomic stability levels.
However, he also indicated that infrastructure and social investmentshave been deficient and below the minimum necessary to prosper.
He mentioned, “Now, things start to look different.. The opportunity for Guatemala is advancing in our work to make the institutions work for what they are supposed to work for. The government is doing what it has to do.”
Infrastructure
President Arévalo also emphasized that he will invest $999 million in a metropolitan transportation system. It includes Guatemala City and surrounding municipalities, as well as the delivery of the first phase of the subway in the city.
“We believe that public investment in infrastructure should go far beyond urbanization and mobility. There are important opportunities and needs in social infrastructure investment,” mentioned President Arévalo.
The president mentioned actions to be implemented in infrastructure; among them were the recovery of streets, the creation of a national fund for innovation and transformation, forest restoration, increasing water coverage for human consumption, internet access, investment in infrastructure that improves the quality of life, as well as investment in main and auxiliary roads.
He added, “Guatemala has a bright future. We know what needs to be done to develop this country. We have a golden opportunity to do different things.”
Participants
The activity brought together more than eight local experts and international panelists who addressed infrastructure development, digitalization, competitiveness, modernization, and trade facilitation, among other topics.
The institutions and organizations participating in the meeting were the Ministry of the Interior, the Superintendency of Tax Administration, Puertas del Istmo, Banco Industrial, and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.
