The Paraguayan Road Chamber (Cavialpa) proposed the creation of the Infrastructure Policy Council in Paraguay, which would bring together all sectors through a participatory dialogue and allow for the promotion of long-term infrastructure policies.
The proposal was presented by the president of Cavialpa, Paul Sarubbi, during the opening of the Latin American Infrastructure Forum, held today in Asunción.
He pointed out that this Infrastructure Policy Council would be an entity that would provide sustainability over time and through consensus, to public policies aimed at this area.
To this end, he considered it crucial to have the participation of members of all sectors involved, companies and entrepreneurs, unions, academics and officials with political and management experience, including former presidents and leaders of ministries related to infrastructure, public policy planning and its financing.
“This breadth of proposed visions must be organised in such a way as to create a space for discussion and analysis, for constructive dialogue that allows us to add the best of each one in favor of a vision of a Paraguay where everyone has more and better opportunities to grow and develop according to their life project,” he added.
The president of Cavialpa highlighted that the Latin American Infrastructure Forum held in Paraguay is the ideal space to propose this type of initiatives that seek to mark “a new direction in the development of infrastructure in Paraguay.”
“This forum aims to mark a before and after. Responsibility for infrastructure is everyone’s, especially the private sector, whose areas require continuity that political changes, by their very nature, cannot ensure,” he said.
For this reason, Sarubbi said that, in order to generate such continuity, the creation of the Infrastructure Policy Council in Paraguay is a necessary institution, which must be generated and earn the respect and consideration of all sectors.
Asked about the proposal, the President of the Republic, Santiago Peña, expressed his support, indicating that the State alone cannot take charge of all infrastructure needs, but rather requires the support and joint work of the private sector.
“I love the idea. I think that the design of long-term public policies increasingly requires the support of the private sector. Governments are always temporary, so for us, having the support of the private sector, which is always the faithful guardian of long-term State policies, I think, is fundamental.”
“Great years of investment in infrastructure are coming”
The president of Cavialpa highlighted the political will of the Government of Paraguay to honour the debts with the contracting companies, as well as the awarding of some 30 tenders and others that are in full process, energising the entire sector.
The union welcomed the renegotiation of the tariff and the obtaining of higher royalties in Itaipu, which will be invested, among other things, in infrastructure.
He also congratulated the country for obtaining investment grade, which he hopes will lead to obtaining more resources to continue investing in the country.
“There are great years of investment in infrastructure driven by the Government. We also value the effort to position Paraguay in international forums and bring investments to the country,” Sarubbi emphasised.
He also mentioned that Paraguay has made significant progress towards infrastructure construction. He stated that sustained investment is essential to give a greater boost to the nation’s development and economy.
“As a country, we have more infrastructure needs to support the sustained economic growth that we have been experiencing and that we aim to achieve together, between the public and private sectors. This will come from public investment, on the one hand, and private investment through financial tools such as concessions and PPPs,” he said.
According to the businessman, in the coming years an annual investment of US$1.5 billion should be targeted to reduce the large gap that exists on Paraguayan soil.
In this regard, he commented that, as a result of the investments undertaken in recent years, numerous towns in the interior of the country have seen the effects of having all-weather roads, bridges that shorten distances not only for production but also for health and education.
Finally, he thanked the support of international organisations, which he described as partners of Paraguay, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), who transform and will continue to transform the lives of Paraguayans in their work and development.
