CAF supports productive sectors of Arequipa

(Arequipa, November 13, 2013). CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, will support the productive development of the metallurgical, textile, and alpaca clothing sectors in the region of Arequipa, the second largest and most dynamic economy in the country. 

This is possible due to the technical cooperation agreement signed by CAF's Director Representative in Peru, Eleonora Silva Pardo, and the President of the Regional Government of Arequipa, Juan Manuel Guillen Benavides, at the headquarters of the Regional Government, in the framework of the 2013 SME Summit. 

This important initiative seeks to facilitate a process to develop dynamic competitive advantages in Arequipa through a coordinated work between the local and national governments, as well as the local actors of the public and private sector, regarding two important areas such as the metallurgical industry and textiles and clothing using alpaca fiber, which in the future, may be copied in other productive sectors of the region. 

This work will strengthen the local productive capacities that enable entrepreneurs to improve their competitive conditions at a national and international level, in a process where the institutions of the local and national public sector will serve as catalyzers and promoters that encourage the growth of the local entrepreneurial capacity in a sustainable manner.  

While noting that CAF's mission is to promote integration and sustainable development in its member countries, Silva Pardo stated that the multilateral financial entity develops these types of activities to promote the development of the productive and human capital, as well as to strengthen the competitiveness of nations.   

For this reason, the Institution firmly supports the SME's in addition to offering technical and non-reimbursable financial assistance for projects, seeking to create competitive advantages as one of the mechanisms to achieve greater levels of development and wellbeing for the population.  

In this regard, she anticipated that CAF is advancing the implementation of competitive cities at a subnational level in member countries, a task that is focused on the concept of generation and strengthening of public policies for a sustainable productive transformation, promoting entrepreneurial development and seeking to achieve competitive cities. 

Pardo stated that "the signature of this agreement constitutes the first phase of a much wider and specific CAF intervention in Arequipa, which will help determine and implement concrete actions to achieve a competitive entrepreneurial development within the mentioned productive sectors. In addition, this initiative will help define the tools to strengthen the city's institutional framework, which must be executed in a second phase where firm support will be provided to a group of initiatives regarding infrastructure and institutional capacity for productive development". 

After thanking CAF's support, Guillen Benavides, stated that the signature of this agreement constitutes a great satisfaction but at the same time a great commitment by the public and private sectors to work together to be able to fulfill a common objective: the development of Arequipa.