- Colombia’s largest event for attracting foreign direct investment abroad will take place on April 23 and 24 in London and will focus exclusively on sustainability.
- The two days of presentations and meetings between senior public and private sector representatives from both countries will bring together a portfolio of opportunities for British and European investors, as well as suppliers of products and services in the infrastructure, energy, and tourism sectors.
- Full agenda and event details: https://investincolombia.com.co/en/colombia-sustainable-investment-roadshow
Bogotá, April 17, 2024 – On April 23 and 24 at Raffles London, the Colombia Investment Roadshow (CIR) will take place, which is an event that aims to explore financing opportunities for public and private projects, initiatives, and infrastructure development activities with top-tier investors from the United Kingdom and Europe who have found Colombia to be a competitive and sustainable gateway to Latin America.
This fifth version of the CIR will be the first to focus exclusively on sustainability, bringing together a portfolio of opportunities for investors as well as suppliers of products and services in the infrastructure, energy, and tourism sectors.
Colombia, the Country of Beauty, seeks to attract investment to promote sustainable development, reindustrialization, the creation and transfer of science, technology, and knowledge, and regional development, as well as strengthen the Colombian business network, support the energy transition, and reduce inequality—all in favor of the search for lasting peace.
In this sense, CIR 2024 will bring together the Colombian Ministers of Trade, Industry, and Tourism, Germán Umaña Mendoza; of Finance and Public Credit, Ricardo Bonilla; of Transportation, William Camargo; of Mines and Energy, Ómar Andrés Camacho; as well as the Colombian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Roy Barreras; the Vice Presidents of Investment and Tourism of ProColombia; and representatives of companies such as Corficolombiana, Fundsmith LLP, Novator Partners, ANH Naturgas, ACP, UK Finance, Crossrail International.
The Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism, Germán Umaña Mendoza, emphasized that “one of the commitments of the Government of Change is to attract sustainable foreign direct investment that transfers technology and knowledge, but also promotes partnerships between small and medium-sized enterprises in the regions with large firms, which are the drivers of investment. In short, FDI that enables them to join local and global value chains.
The senior official added that “our objective is for this sustainable investment to create employment and development opportunities for communities historically affected by the armed conflict.”
Colombia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Roy Barreras, stressed that “Colombia—in the midst of a changing, unstable, and multipolar world—is not only at the center of Latin America but also at the center of opportunities. In the 21st century, Colombia’s strategic geographic location means it has limitless opportunities in terms of energy transition, is a global biodiversity powerhouse, and is a foreign trade hub for other countries. The Investment Roadshow is the perfect opportunity to attract foreign investment and create employment and development opportunities with a focus on sustainability.”
ProColombia President Carmen Caballero stated that “we are committed to attracting sustainable foreign investment in Colombia, the Country of Beauty, so that it becomes one of the strategic pillars of the just energy transition, promoting reindustrialization and competitiveness in the regions. We are going to London to showcase President Gustavo Petro’s country vision and the portfolio of investment opportunities in renewable energies, infrastructure, tourism, and their facilitators.”
She added that “this initiative is part of ProColombia’s investment attraction strategy and has been positioned as an essential, strategic event to show investors from Europe and around the world what Colombia has to offer. We make things happen. We are looking for the best foreign investment for Colombia’s development.”
Colombia is one of the largest economies in the region, with an estimated growth of 1.3% in 2024, according to the IMF. In 2023, the country received US $17.446 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), of which 66% corresponded to non-mining and non-energy sectors. The United States, Spain, Switzerland, England, and the Netherlands were the main FDI source countries.
With 52 million inhabitants, Colombia is the third most populous country in Latin America. It has five business centers with more than 1 million inhabitants, 15 cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants, and a young population that drives the domestic market—64% of which is under 40 years of age.
Colombia, regional leader in sustainable energy transition
Colombia has a strong potential to generate energy from non-conventional sources. It has solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and geothermal resources, as well as the ability to produce low-emission hydrogen.
Colombia’s reindustrialization policy aims to achieve a just, self-sustainable, accessible quality energy transition in order to increase the installed capacity of renewable projects by 6 GW in construction or operation by 2026.
Colombia is the third most attractive emerging market in Latin America for investments in renewable energies. It is a country with robust institutions and a sector-specific regulatory framework, which includes incentives to promote Foreign Direct Investment in order to diversify the energy matrix and democratize access to clean energy.
