Ecuadorian ministers at IE to explore investment opportunities in strategic sectors in Ecuador

The event was held at IE and was moderated by Antonio Montes, Director of Strategic Development at IE Business School, and was also attended by Miguel Calahorrano, Ecuador’s Ambassador to Spain. Mining, electricity, hydrocarbon fuels and telecommunications are currently key strategic sectors in Ecuador, with almost a hundred investment plans in place, as explained by the ministers in the course of their addresses.

Ecuador’s Minister for Coordination of Strategic Sector, Rafael Poveda Bonilla, invited Spanish entrepreneurs to invest in strategic sectors in his country, including mining, electricity, hydrocarbon fuels, and telecommunications, sectors in which Ecuador has launched some 94 investment plans in the last eight years. Antonio Montes, Director of Strategic Development at IE Business School and moderator of the discussion, talked about the fact that Ecuador is very attractive for Spanish investors given its strong potential in sectors like water, energy, transport, construction and infrastructures.  Ecuador’s Minister for the Coordination of Strategic Sectors explained that Ecuador’s objective is to change the current production model based on agricultural products for a more industrialized Ecuador committed to human talent. During his address, the minister mentioned that his country requires some 20 billion dollars to implement its hydroelectric plan, set to be completed by 2030. The minister also underscored the potential of Ecuador’s mining and hydrocarbon fuel sectors.

Ecuador’s Minister for Telecommunications and the Information Society, Augusto Rubén Espín Tobar, talked about how change in the production system has to be driven by education.  Hence, Ecuador aims to open a hundred millennium schools and colleges, with a new structure and modern equipment, for every stage of the education process. The schools will come coupled with 160,000 tablets which will be made available to students over the next two years.