Speaking at TOC Americas opening ceremony in Cartagena, the minister said that Colombia is “betting on smart and profitable infrastructure”.
She also confirmed that the government is studying requests for 25 new ports – which will add 50m tonnes per year – and that there is increasingly more stakeholder interest in the nation’s ports.
In response to this the Colombian government has created a national logistics system and is calling for all users of transport services, including port operators, to be part of this logistics system.
“We want to eliminate data asymmetries and issue regulations that produce a market incentive,” she said. “Our target is to optimise time and we are counting on container yards to respond to the needs of the industry.”
Describing this as a “turning point and the beginning of a period of opportunity”, the minister went on to stress the importance of high standard roads, highways and intermodal transport.
“These are necessary for a sound value chain and so we are continuing to work hard on developing infrastructure. These investments in port facilities and optimisation of access roads are necessary to increase our competitiveness.”