Nicaragua, One of the Safest Countries in Central America and an Ideal Destination for Investors

    WASHINGTON, DC, April 25, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- International rankings by prestigious institutions have recognized Nicaragua not only as one of the safest destinations in the region, but also as the fastest country in which to start a business and the country that best protects its investors.

The Economist Intelligence Unit 2010 (EIU), a global leader in business intelligence, positioned Nicaragua as the second safest country in Central America, only behind Costa Rica. The report uses a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 being the most risky. According to 2010 indicators, Nicaragua scored 29, while Costa Rica scored 14, Panama 37, El Salvador 46, Belize 53 and Honduras and Guatemala 68. EIU monitors around 200 countries worldwide measuring indicators such as armed conflict, organized crime, kidnapping, and manifestations.

In addition, the Global Peace Index 2009 (GPI) also placed Nicaragua as the second safest nation in the Central American region in its ranking of over 144 countries, which includes indicators such as the levels of military expenditure, its relations with neighboring countries and the level of respect for human rights. Among the Central American countries, Nicaragua is number two after Costa Rica, in the 59 position, while Guatemala is number 111, El Salvador 94, followed by Honduras as number 112.

Nicaragua has also been ranked as the fastest country in which to start a business in Central America by the Doing Business Report 2010, published by the World Bank Group. This category measures business regulations and the protection of property rights, as well as their effect on businesses. The study placed Nicaragua in the number one position within the Central American region, followed by El Salvador and Costa Rica.

This same report also positioned Nicaragua as the country that best protects investors, measuring transparency of transactions (extent of disclosure index), liability for self-dealing (extent of director liability index), shareholders' ability to sue officers and directors for misconduct (ease of shareholder suits index) and strength of investor protection index.

Recent announcements of new investments projects in the country reinforce the above statements. PRONicaragua, the official investment promotion agency of Nicaragua, recently reported that nearly US$1 billion are expected to flow into the country in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) during the next couple of years as a result of numerous projects soon to be developed in different economic sectors.

PRONicaragua is the Nicaraguan Investment Promotion Agency, established in 2002. It is a non-profit, public-private institution whose mission is to generate economic growth and job creation in Nicaragua by attracting high-quality foreign direct investment. The agency provides complimentary support services to qualified investors seeking investment opportunities in our country. For further information, please contact us at (505) 2270-6400 or online at http://pronicaragua.org.

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