In a ceremony held at the Port of Coquimbo, the Regional Government and InvestChile finalized the signing of a collaboration agreement aimed at positioning the region as a strategic destination for national and international investment.
This agreement will strengthen the recently created Investment Attraction Unit of the Gore, an organization that will serve as a one-stop shop to support projects, untangle procedures, and ensure that the benefits translate into employment and economic growth.
The agreement contemplates three stages of work. The first is a diagnosis of foreign direct investment opportunities, another is the promotion of the region in international markets and the design of programs that foster productive linkages. It also commits to quarterly technical meetings between both institutions and authorizes the use of the InvestChile brand to develop “InvestCoquimbo,” a seal that will give a regional identity to this strategy.
The regional governor, Cristóbal Juliá, emphasized that “with the signing of this agreement with InvestChile, we begin a new stage that will allow us to attract investments and strengthen the Port of Coquimbo. This implies local development, job creation, and increased capital, concrete benefits that since January we have been promoting to achieve the true development of the region.”
The general director of InvestChile, Karla Flores, underlined that “this allows strengthening the capacities of the regional governments to carry out effective investment promotion and attraction. By having clear diagnoses and enabling conditions such as connectivity, infrastructure, and human capital, we can advance in the international promotion of opportunities and attract delegations of companies interested in prospecting this region in particular. Therefore, this alliance with the Regional Government and with the entire ecosystem is fundamental so that companies can learn in detail about the port capacity, infrastructure, and opportunities that exist in Coquimbo.”
Meanwhile, the general manager of Terminal Puerto Coquimbo (TPC), Laura Chiuminatto, commented that “it is a pride that this agreement is signed at the port. We are a relevant actor in the logistics chain and in foreign trade, connecting Coquimbo with destinations such as Tucumán, Asia-Pacific, and North America. Today we take a concrete step to make the region visible and attract foreign investment.”
For his part, the general manager of Empresa Portuaria Coquimbo, Ernesto Piwonka, stressed that “the signing of this agreement at the port reinforces the effort of more than 100 million dollars invested in infrastructure, the largest port work in Chile in the last decade. With the creation of an investor support unit, we have a real opportunity to attract quality capital and generate sustainable jobs for the region.”
The regional councilor and president of the International Relations Commission, Pedro Valencia, highlighted that “this agreement complements the work we have been developing with our neighbors. The Port of Coquimbo is in a condition to receive cargo and, after the visit to Tucumán, we saw the great interest for their production to reach the Pacific through our region.”
In turn, the regional ministerial secretary of Economy, Paulina Elgueta, emphasized that “InvestChile did a serious analysis and saw in the Coquimbo Region a high potential to insert local businesses at an international level and, at the same time, attract new investments.
This agreement will allow us to reduce processing times, provide certainty to investors, and support the guilds in the realization of their projects, generating collaborative and virtuous work with the Regional Government.
The signing of this agreement marks the beginning of a joint agenda between the Regional Government and InvestChile to position Coquimbo as a strategic node of the South Pacific, with the capacity to generate employment, promote innovation, and attract investments that contribute to the comprehensive development of the region.
