To the director of Local and International Relations of the Agency for Cooperation and Investment of Medellín and the Metropolitan Area (ACI), Jonathan Ballesteros, “2022 is a year in which investment and cooperation go from an important issue to an important ally for city development.

“I must highlight that more than 500 delegates from countries such as Spain, Denmark, Argentina, Brazil, United Kingdom, United States, France and Belgium, among many others, have come to Medellín to learn first-hand about the project that turned us into a Ecocity, and in Software Valley, to replicate them in their territory”, thought Ballesteros.

The previous year, through City ACI reports a total of 20 foreign investment projects, represented around US$148 million and 3,500 new jobs generated, thanks to management this year to attract resources from abroad.

20 international companies are based in the capital city of Antioquia to expand its operations, including Farmatodo, Dollarcity, Positive Thinking, Concentrix, Sana Commerce, Fresh Works, Rootstrap, Rush and Genius Sport.

in 2022, ACI Medellín celebrates 20 years of existence by managing a US$3.4 billion investment, with over 200 installed companies and nearly 25,000 jobs created; Similarly, in international cooperation, more than US$115 million has been managed in the past two decades in projects such as Citra (Integrated Transport Centre), which recently ended and left the city with a modern information system that enables increased mobility, thanks to an agreement with South Korea, which is the largest cooperation project, with US$12 million.

Ambassadors, ministers and more than 500 delegates from around the world visited city projects and opened up possibilities for investment and cooperation.

Medellín branch manager Lean Solutions GroupWilliam Garrido, emphasized that “the growth of the company, in Medellín, was quite fast, surpassing the 200 employee mark before completing the first year and projections for mid-2023 occupy 350 or 360. We have the confidence to be in the best city position for companies across the country.”

One of the most extraordinary events of the year corresponds to the technical cooperation announced by Red C40 for the development of Parques del Río Norte, a project that will change the face of the commune of Popular and Santa Cruz, and which will benefit more than 390,000 people. .

In technical and financial cooperation, national and international, US$7.4 million was reported. As a result of this investment work with cities around the world, ten “Why Medellín” events were held with entrepreneurs from Spain, Dubai, Chile, Mexico, Brazil and the United States, where the capital Antioquia is a safe and reliable destination for installing companies from other countries.

Barcelona continues to be Medellín’s sister city. Proof of this is the Barcelona Solidaria program which supports 13 projects with almost 1.1 million euros, among which stands out Rutas de Siembra, implemented in the company Antioqueños por el Mundo and Comfenalco, a project that works for farmers from the city of Santa Elena.

According to ICA, its management has a direct impact on development and is proven by indicators Return on Investment (ROI), which shows that for every peso that goes into ACI Medellín’s budget, $14 is managed in cooperation and an investment of $186, in addition to results that count not in financial resources, but in job creation, for example.

The work of the agency for the arrival of new cooperation and investment projects begins with the identification of countries, companies, public or private entities, international networks, among others, who are interested in cooperating with Medellín or investors who wish to settle in the region .

After the investment or cooperation project is installed, resources are used to build infrastructure necessary for its operation, the recruitment of personnel and the coming arrival of people from other countries to live alone or with their families, which promotes tourism, housing, education, transport and food, among other things.