• La Libertad is the region ranking highest infrastructure-wise, according to the Regional Competitive Index.

During his presentation at Rumbo a PERUMIN, Carlos Durand, chair of Perucámaras, admitted that, even though our country has achieved an economic growth of 6% in average over the past decades, this growth has not been able to equally benefit all the regions.

“This has to do with quality of life and welfare. Growth is important, and so is competitiveness; but we have to increase productivity. And productivity has to do with developing human capital,” he noted.

Durand commented that one of the fundamental pillars to attain competitiveness in the northern macroregion is infrastructure, an element that is not only lacking in the northern regions, but that also shows asymmetries from one region to the other.

Competitiveness Index

“The northern region ranking highest infrastructure-wise is Lambayeque (7th), followed by Tumbes (8th), La Libertad (10th), Cajamarca (14th), and Piura (21st). Thus, we see an asymmetry. These gaps should be narrowed and closed,” he remarked.

According to the speaker, the five northern regions account for 17 % of the real national GDP. “Nevertheless, there is an important gap not only in infrastructure but also in the resilience skills that should be instilled in human capital, the most valuable resource we have,” he underscored.

In this context, the director of the National Chamber of Commerce affirmed that, if we want to have a significant increase in competitiveness that promotes welfare among the population and is sustainable over time, infrastructure is not the only vital aspect, but also direct investment in quality of life in relation to human capital, education, and health.

In term of education, the region ranked highest is Lambayeque (7th of 25 regions). In contrast, Cajamarca is ranked 21st. In the health sector, Lambayeque ranks highest, followed by La Libertad.

On the other hand, Durand highlighted that the mining industry is immersed into the digitalization era, and that disruptive technologies are changing the future of our work. In this sense, it is estimated that, in fifteen years, 60% of the jobs that will be required do not exist today.

“It is of paramount importance to make a huge investment in human capital, to train them, so that, together, we can further our country’s growth.

Rumbo a PERUMIN

Rumbo a PERUMIN is an initiative of the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP) and the Executive Committee of PERUMIN 36. It involves an agenda of virtual activities that seek to create spaces for analysis, knowledge and debate on mining.