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Successful talks in Colombia

Successful talks in Colombia

The trade relations between Colombia and Germany are to be further strengthened. For this purpose, representatives of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), the GIZ, the Colombian Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MinCIT) and the government promotion agency ProColombia and further stakeholders met in Bogotá and Cali at the end of May 2025. The aim of the talks was to launch Partnering in Business with Germany with Colombia.

06.06.2025

After the talks, Lorenzo Castillo, Vice Minister of Entrepreneurial Development, said: “Partnering in Business with Germany is a key component of the expansion of the bilateral economic relations between Germany and Colombia.”

The Colombian side hopes that its participation in the programme will help to speed up the internationalisation of the country’s SMEs and to expand business cooperation with German firms. For the German side, Colombia is an important business location in Latin America. There is a great potential for cooperation between German and Colombian SMEs in the following areas: agriculture, renewable energy, the circular economy, the construction industry, the health sector, Industrie 4.0 and digitisation.

06.06.2025

In the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MinCIT): talks with Vice Minister Lorenzo Castillo ©ProColombia

Possibilities and the potential for cooperation were explored during meetings with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá, local stakeholders and companies situated in the Cali business region. Maria Paula Arenas, Vice President of ProColombia, said: “Partnering in Business with Germany perfectly complements existing programmes on international business cooperation.” Ulrich Niemann, head of the division responsible for the programme to promote foreign trade and investment in the Economic Affairs Ministry, sees a lot of potential for Partnering in Business with Germany to be further adapted to new markets and thus support companies in their diversification efforts.

He was very satisfied with the talks and is looking forward to working together with Colombia. “We hope that, together with our Colombian partners, we will be able to invite a group of entrepreneurs to Germany in the course of 2025.”

The potential of Colombian enterprises also became clear during a visit to the SME AGRAF Industrial in the larger Cali region. For more than 30 years now, AGRAF has been well-positioned on the domestic market for paper and packaging products. The company’s new, fully compostable packaging might also be interesting for the German market.

Teaser picture: Visit to the medium-sized company Agraf Industrials in Yumbo, Valle del Cauca. ©ProColombia