Six countries in the Central American region (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) are working to expand intra-regional trade and revitalize their economies by strengthening logistics networks and promoting foreign direct investment. To support these developments, JICA has been implementing a development study-type technical cooperation “Project to Support the Formulation of a Regional Logistics and Logistics Development Master Plan for Central America for Sustainable Economic Development and Regional Integration” since 2019, and a Central American Regional Logistics and Logistics Master Plan was formulated in 2023. Now that the project has been completed, efforts are underway in each country to implement this master plan, led by the Central American Secretariat for Economic Integration (SIECA) in Guatemala.
On the other hand, the Central American region is geographically distant from Japan, and not many Japanese companies have necessarily set up operations there. However, there are many possibilities to utilize Japan’s “high quality infrastructure” and advanced technologies in the implementation of the Master Plan. Against this background, JICA held the “Central American Logistics and Logistics Private Investment Seminar and Business Exchange Meeting” on March 9 as an opportunity to connect Japanese companies with the Central American region.
This event was held as part of the “Strengthening Logistics Capacity for Central American Economic Integration,” a task-specific training program conducted annually by JICA for six Central American countries to promote the implementation of their master plans. Administrative officials from the ministries and agencies related to transportation, economy, and finance who visited Japan from late February to mid-March for a three-week training program took the stage and directly introduced the current status, challenges, and future needs in the logistics sector in each country.
In addition to presentations by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Mr. Fernando J. Vazquez Montoya, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation of the Republic of Honduras, representing the Central American Council of Ministers of Transportation, made a speech on the high potential of the Central American region and his expectations for Japanese investment. Mr. Carlos Alberto Moreno Carmona, Director General of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Logistics Bureau of SIECA, then gave an overview of the Central American Regional Logistics Master Plan and the potential of the logistics sector in the Central American region. In addition, Japanese companies introduced advanced technologies and solutions that contribute to logistics improvement and efficiency, such as infrastructure management services, steel bridge technology, and fiber optic sensing, which drew great interest from participants from Central American countries.
The event was attended by approximately 120 participants, including government officials and private companies from Japan and the Central American region, who continued the active exchange of opinions and networking during the business networking session held after the seminar. The direct dialogue between Japanese companies and government officials from Central American countries, who do not usually have much contact with each other, toward the implementation of the Logistics and Logistics Master Plan provided the best opportunity for exchange for future business development in the Central American region with high potential for growth.
Seminar Carlos Alberto Moreno Carmona Director of Transportation, Infrastructure and Logistics Carmona Introduction to the Central American Regional Logistics Master Plan
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