Nicaragua's FDI Inflows with Great Dynamism During First Trimester of 2013

    WASHINGTON, DC, September 01, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- During the first quarter of 2013, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Nicaragua reached US$440.8 million, a 30 percent increase compared to the US$338 million received during the same period of 2012, demonstrating the continued dynamism of the national economy in recent years. This amount of investment income was generated by a total of 110 projects.

FDI inflows during this period originated from a total of 24 countries, of which Panama was ranked as the main country with a share of 26 percent, followed by the United States (22%), Mexico (14%), Canada (8%), and Guatemala (8%), representing 78 percent of total FDI inflows.

For this period, the top five sectors were: industry, financial, trade and services, telecommunications and agriculture, which comprised 89 percent of total FDI inflows. Of total FDI inflows, US$41.3 million corresponded to industrial companies operating under the free zone regime, which represents an increase of almost 48 percent in comparison to the US$28.3 million obtained in the first quarter of 2012.

"Nicaragua continues to position itself as one of the most dynamic economies in Latin America, and these results only confirm that the country is headed in the right direction. The Government of Nicaragua is committed to diversifying the origin and destination of FDI to achieve greater socio-economic impact in the country. In recent years we have been working with the public and private sector and workers to improve the business climate and facilitate the investment process, something very few countries in the region have managed to achieve, and which represents a great achievement for the country," expressed General Alvaro Baltodano, Nicaragua's Presidential Delegate for Investments.

The Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) recently forecasted that Nicaragua's economy will grow by 5 percent this year, an increase well above Latin America's average growth of 3 percent. Exceptionally, this time Nicaragua is among those countries leading the region's growth, ranking fifth among the economies that are expected to have the best performance this year. The list is led by Paraguay, whose GDP could grow 12.5 percent in 2013, followed by Panama (7.5%), Peru (5.9%), Bolivia (5.5%), Nicaragua (5.0%) and Chile (4.6%).

PRONicaragua is the Nicaraguan Investment and Export 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 http://pronicaragua.org.

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