Agreement for the implementation of the "Ecuador Emprendedor 2020" strategy (Entrepreneurial Ecuador 2020)

CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, and the Alianza para el Emprendimiento y la Innovación (AEI) (Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation) signed a technical cooperation agreement with the objective of implementing strategic actions that energize the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem in the country, according to the statements of the Estrategia Ecuador Emprendedor 2020 (Entrepreneurial Strategy Ecuador 2020), which was developed with the participation of more than 200 public and private actors, as well as the academia. 

The signature of the agreement included the presence of Bernardo Requena, CAF's Director Representative in Ecuador, Camilo Pinzón, President of the Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (AEI, for its acronym in Spanish);  Rebeca Vidal,  Executive at CAF's Direction of Productive and Financial Development; Andrés Zurita,  Executive Director of AEI; Alfonso Abdo, Executive Director of CONQUITO; Ana María Molina, Manager for Public Affairs at the GPF Corporation; and Alejandra Villacís, from SENECYT's Innovation and Transfer of Technology Secretariat.

During the event, the technical components and main expected results of the agreement were presented, among which the following stand out: the sensitization of more than 50 actors on subjects related to innovation through coordination activities; the development and dissemination of a document with successful cases and learning in Ecuador with respect to innovation processes; and a technical proposal to help establish laws and public policies that energize the procedures necessary to implement entrepreneurial initiatives, among others. 

For Bernardo Requena, the subject of dynamic entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial innovation is essential for the development process of countries. For this reason, he stated CAF's satisfaction in supporting the progress of the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem in Ecuador through the AEI, becoming the first multilateral organization to be a part of the Alliance; he also highlighted the importance of contributing with documentation that helps this type of coordination initiative to become a case of best practices that can be modeled in other countries of the region. 

At the same time, Camilo Pinzón, expressed his gratitude to CAF and all the institutions that believed in the AEI project; he mentioned that the future challenges are increasingly bigger due to the fast growth experienced by the alliance, needing a greater commitment of the actors involved. 

Thus, CAF supports the productive sectors of its member countries through programs and projects that promote entrepreneurship and innovation, and copies successful experiences that have an impact on the development of public policies.