Despite the economic difficulties experienced during 2020, Bogotá continued to be a destination for foreign investment. Last year alone, the investment promotion agency Invest in Bogota, an initiative of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor's Office, attracted some $114 million in investment to the capital.
"In a year in which employment generation and economic reactivation were a priority, the foreign investment projects we are accompanying are generating an estimated 5,000 jobs for the city," said Juan Gabriel Pérez, executive director of Invest in Bogotá.
The analysis of the investment projects shows that the information technology and services outsourcing sectors were the ones that most attracted new business or reinvestment (8 in total), with outstanding cases such as the technology companies Mercadolibre and Trajectory Inc. as well as the BPO Outplex and Apex Americas.
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In the case of Mercadolibre, the company announced the launch of its first Technology and Innovation Center in the country, which will become the engine that will drive the development and growth of the company's operation in the local market and in Latin America.
In addition, the life sciences sector (which includes industries such as medical devices, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and health services) attracted seven investment projects, while the creative industries, value-added manufacturing and infrastructure sectors contributed six, four and one project respectively.
The United States, Argentina and Australia, the main markets
As usual, the United States appears as the country from which the largest number of investment projects arrived in Bogotá (8 in total). Argentina and Australia (with four each) appear in second position, followed by India (3), United Kingdom (2) and Canada (2).
"Bogota's workforce is very well recognized, with people who are very good at what they do. The talent that is found in the city and in the country is very well trained, hardworking and with a great 'thirst' for job training," recently highlighted Andrés Velásquez, manager of the American audio studio One Thousand Birds (OTB), which arrived in the city last year.
Another example of foreign investment projects that arrived in the city in 2020 is Shelton's Coffee, a Colombo-English coffee company with more than 40 years of tradition that in 2016 began a process of expansion to Hong Kong, Lebanon, Denmark and Qatar, and recently moved its production plant to Colombia to serve the markets of Latin America, the United States and Canada.
"In the midst of a year full of challenges and in which the world economy was affected by the pandemic, having 30 companies that trusted Bogotá and decided to invest in it reaffirms that many of the strengths that have made the city the main investment destination in Latin America are still in place," concluded Juan Gabriel Pérez.
