He president of the National Association of Businessmen of Colombia (Andi), Bruce Mac Mastersaid that the sector is waiting for the Government to present the measures protected by the state of emergency declared for the Catatumboafter the wave of violence unleashed by armed actors in that part of the country and which has left fatalities and displaced people. He indicated that it is favorable that the Petro administration ruled out the Economic Emergencytaking into account that it had been noted that there was no supervening event that justified its declaration.
Mac Master recommended that We must be careful to do what the Constitution allows the Executive in these extraordinary cases.
(Read also: Road projects at risk of execution due to Invias debt, according to the CCI).
In addition, he assured that we also have to wait for what the Constitutional Court about the measures that are put in place. Precisely, when analyzing the current issues that worry businessmen, Mac Master warned about the security problems facing the country and, as an example of this, he pointed out what is being experienced in Catatumbo.
In that sense, he expressed concern about what is happening and said that the reports about displacements to cities like Ocaña, Bucaramanga and Cúcuta They are serious and Colombians have not seen them in a long time. He commented that what is happening in Cauca and Guaviare is also worrying, citing some examples of regions where public order is disturbed.
Catatumbo.
César Melgarejo/ Portfolio
“For this reason, control of territory, that is, of military force, has to be a very big objective. We had been telling the Government for several months that there is a feeling in the population that insecurity is growing, and that the State is not making enough presence. There is also the feeling that the Police forces and the Armed Forces do not have sufficient capabilities to be able to operate, enough resources to carry out patrols, to be able to move aircraft, there is a very large budgetary issue.“he added.
For the union leader “Although every effort must be made to search for peace, the state cannot renounce its presence in the territory anywhere.“. In that sense, Mac Master explained that for that reason, Andi has insisted on her concerns that the Total Peace policy strengthens illegal groups and weakens the Military Forces..
Other concerns
Along with the issue of security, Bruce Mac Master insisted on what he considered the country’s challenges in 2025 and that they concentrate on the fiscal aspect, health and energy.
(Further: Debt of more than $1 billion from Invías puts 57 road projects in danger, says the CCI).
Regarding the first, stressed the need for austerity and respect for the fiscal rulein order to gain confidence in international markets. On the energy issue, the president of Andi stressed the importance of “Colombia resumes its reliable and competitive supply strategy“.
And, finally, in the field of health, he raised questions about the reform that the Government is determined to carry out, while expressing the importance of reviewing and resolving the current crisis of the system.
Catatumbo.
César Melgarejo / Portfolio
The November ISE
The president of Andi also spoke after the data from the Economic Monitoring Index (ISE) corresponding to the month of November 2024 was revealed, which closed at 0.4%.
For the union leader, the data represents a “heterogeneous behavior where some sectors register positive rates and others, on the contrary, maintain negative rates“.
(Read also: The economic pace slowed sharply in November).
He also described as positive that the total growth for the first eleven months of the year reflected a “mild“recovery, registering a rate of 1.7%,”with which the year will end around this level, which coincides with the forecasts of Andi and most analysts“.
Bruce Mac Master, president of Andi.
César Melgarejo / El Tiempo
However, he did not hide his concern regarding the behavior of secondary activities, which include the industry and constructionand which, during the last two years, “has reported negative rates for most months“.
(Read also: Fiscal policy, what most worries investors in the Colombian market).
He mentioned that, in the case of the primary activities (agriculture and mining), which registered a drop of 1.3% for the eleventh month of last year, this figure “breaks the favorable trend that this indicator had been presenting“.
Finally, he said that the general data of the ISE, “points out that the reactivation has not been consolidated and it is urgent to adopt a strategy that restores the confidence and certainty of investors and generates the conditions to achieve high and sustained growth.“.
GDP
iStock
As revealed by Dane, the annual growth rate of the ISE for the eleventh month of the year was 0.4%, so although it remains in positive territory, marks a decline in the progress that has been made compared to what was achieved a year agosince in the same period this had been 2.7% and a month ago (October 2024) its registration had been 3%.
(Continue reading: How much do Colombians have saved in unemployment benefits?).
If you put a magnifying glass on the sectors, it could be seen that the agro showed a negative variation of -1.7%, while the industry fell -2.6%, being the largest declines recorded in said period.
Other sectors that showed falls were those of information and communications (-1.5% annually) and professional and scientific activities (-0.6% annually).
CONSTANZA GÓMEZ GUASCA
Portfolio Journalist
