Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Colombia grew 26% in the first six months of 2012 compared to the same period last year, said the country’s trade minister Monday.
According to Minister Sergio Diaz-Granados, foreign investors pumped $9.4 billion into the Colombian economy in the first half of this year. In 2011, the South American country received a record $13.2 billion, 58% of which went to Colombia’s oil and mining industry.
This year’s increase in foreign investment is due to an “improved investment climate” and successful investment promotion campaigns carried out by tourism and investment promotion agency Proexport, the minister told Spanish press agency EFE.
Diaz-Granados estimated that the total FDI over 2012 will exceed $15 billion.
“These numbers ratify the good performance of the Colombian economy,” in a time the global economy is under pressure by ongoing problems in the Eurozone.
Colombia’s economy grew 4.7% in the first half year of 2012. The country’s finance minister said earlier this week he expected this growth to slow down to 4.5%
From Colombia Reports
