The World Believes in Medellin

(A City of Opportunities – A City that Surprises)

Medellin surprises. Today, this city has undergone a deep transformation and glances
at its future with hope and trust because it still dreams, plans, builds and is well
aware that there is still much to do to become an increasingly solidary and
competitive society.

Today, Medellin is an international city and a destination of businesses, tourism and

cooperation thanks to its the physical, social, educational and cultural renewal,
showing itself the world as a model of inclusion, cohabitation, solidarity and
competitiveness.

It’s not uncommon now for Medellin to host economic, academic, touristic, cultural,
scientific and sports events, which in turn yield new stands, new visions while it bets
on the global purpose to generate development and opportunities for all, without
exceptions. That’s why we proudly say today: The World Believes in Medellin.

You too can be part of this collective project which seeks transformation and
development; be it for business, for work, for leisure or for plain curiosity. Medellin
waits for you with open arms from the bottom of its heart.

ACI – The Agency of Cooperation and Investment of Medellin and its Metropolitan
Area

Internationalizing Medellin has been key for the city since it leads to establish and
enhance networks of allies and partners worldwide and in time, represents a
platform to help us achieve our purpose of turning into an increasingly competitive
society with better living conditions. ACI is the entity responsible of boosting this
process.

Hence, ACI promotes Medellin and the metropolitan region to create and enhance
ties with strategic partners, which enable us to obtain resources from cooperation
and international investments hand-in-hand with our development plans. The
purpose is to improve the quality of life of the city’s population since we are aware
that this favors creating jobs and consolidates productive chains and economic
growth.
 Medellin Works With Love
Our Dreams, Our Commitments

Our Development Plan summarizes the main pillars of the city’s current government,
as follows:

Medellin, a Solidary and Fair City

The aim is to move towards a model that generates increased fairness and social
inclusion throughout the city. That is, a development that allows more persons
everyday to overcome the gap of inequality and lack of access to opportunities,
achieving their comprehensive human development as autonomous citizens with
guaranteed rights.
Challenges:
• Struggle against poverty and hunger
• Reconciliation, reestablishing rights as well as social and economic reintegration
• Housing and habitat
• Integrated urban actions
• Development of villages and rural areas

Development and Well-being for the Entire Population

Medellin still bets on its development by generating social opportunities which boost
individual skills and capabilities within a setting of trust, freedom, security and
cohabitation, to participate as productive and creative citizens that respect diversity
and surroundings. Indeed, the city has set out to consolidate a model in which the
State guarantees a good life for its citizens.
Challenges:
• Medellín, The Most Educated
• Healthcare
• Art & Culture
• Recreation & Sports
• Security & Cohabitation
• Services Provided to Population Groups
• Food & Nutritional Safety

Economic Development and Innovation

We are committed in Medellin to enhance a strategy that assumes the city’s
development focused on comprehensive human development. By addressing the
problems of employment, self-employment and entrepreneurship focused on the
population, this includes actions suited to the specific needs of vulnerable
populations, enhancing an attractive social-economic platform for investments and
consolidating the conditions of the territory’s development.
Challenges:
• Opening and Enhancing Enterprises
• Forming for the J and Entrepreneurship
• Innovation & Development
• Support to promote tools to promote, sensitize, finance, research and links for
the city’s economic and corporate development

Habitat and Environment for the People

How a city determines the distribution and quality of its public settings is pivotal not
only for its territorial balance, but also for its fairness and social development. In a
democratic city, citizens of all walks of life meet as equals on the streets, parks and
squares, that is, in public settings.
The intervention of public settings means reassessing the places where people meet,
recovers the importance of immediate settings and the relationship of public settings
with the population, and rebuilds the citizens’ perception of public settings.
Challenges:
• Public setting, furnishings and stable habitat
• Environment
• Mobility and Transportation
• Public Utilities

A City with Regional and Global Projection

Today, Medellin is undoubtedly a beacon for the international community and this in
turn enables the city to establish programs or projects through strategic alliances
which contribute to the region’s development and to increase the human
development and quality of life index.
Local business persons, foreign persons and investors all agree on the aspects which
turn Medellin today into an attractive city to invest it: Skilled labor, availability and
quality of public utilities; strategic location; market size; and high quality of life
levels. Moreover, Medellin displays a good rating in terms of its transparency and
sound fiscal management, a sound and expansive economy, and a corporate
foundation enhanced by strategic clusters.
Given the trust this city generates, resources of foreign investments and cooperation
for development arise due to the city’s institutional quality and sound management
of resources.
Challenges:
• Regional Integration
• Connect Medellin with the country and the world
• Regional Projection, national and international

Institutions, Democracy and Citizens’ Participation

This line of work focuses on developing in Medellin a local public institutional model
based on human, civil, political, economic, social and environmental rights, hand-in-
hand with the social state of law defined by the country’s 1991 Constitution.
This line is exhibited as a social-political reality just rising which recognizes that the
city advances towards building governance based on the construction of trust, co-
responsibilities and social control, beyond the perception which acquires roots such
as values, such as the social practices – individual and collective – of a municipality
which intensely seeks prosperity with equality.
Challenges:
• Decentralizing the City’s management with local governance
• Transparency and management base don results
• Citizenship Culture
• Institutional Development
 This Is Our Country
COLOMBIA
(A geo-diverse and multi-cultural country)

OVERVIEW

• Official Name: Republic of Colombia.

• Population: 45,6 million (74% urban, 26% rural)
• Capital: Bogotá D.C. – 7,8 million
• GDP in 2008: US$203 billion (official exchange rate)
• GDP Per Capita in 2008: US$4.447 million
• GDP Per Capita (PPP) in 2008: US$8.900 million
• GDP Growth in 2008: 2,5%
• Inflation in 2008: 7,67%
• Exports in 2008: US$ 37.598 million
• Main Destinations January-June: U.S.A. (35%), Venezuela
(17%), E.U. (15%) and CAN (6,6%).
• Imports in 2008: US$39.583 million.
• Foreign Investment in 2008: US$10.600,2 million.
• Literacy Rate: 92,1%
• Coin: Colombian Peso

WHY COLOMBIA
• Located 3 hours by plane from Miami and 5 hours from Sao
Paulo
• Direct Foreign Investment in Colombia increased 300% in 5
years
• Best business environment of Latin America - “Doing
Business” of World Bank
• Fourth country in the world with least risk in times of crisis -
Merril Lynch
• High Quality of Life, 3 universities among the Top 30 of Latin
America
• Double Taxation Agreements
• Legal Stability Agreements
• Investment Promotion & Protection Agreements
• Free Trade Zones with 15% income tax as well as the
possibility to sell to local markets (Single-Enterprise Free
Trade Zone)
 This is Our Region
Antioquia
Medellin: Capital of Antioquia and
Core of the Metropolitan Area of the Aburra Valley

Antioquia:
• Direct Foreign Investment in Antioquia reached
US$501,6 million in 2008, displaying an annual
average growth of 12% since 1996 and of 45%
since 2002.
Metropolitan Area of the Aburra Valley:
• 10 Municipalities
• Population: 3.5 million
• 8.1% of Colombia’s population
• 11% of Colombia’s GDP
• 15% of total Direct Foreign Investment of
Colombia in 2008
Medellin:
• Population: 2.3 million
• Area: 330 sq. km.
• 8% of the country’s GDP
• 11% of total Direct Foreign Investment of
Colombia in 2008 (US$369,7 million), displaying
an annual average growth of 21% since 1996 and
of 46% since 2002
• According to the Medellin for Antioquia
Chamber of Commerce, the 69 municipalities of
Antioquia served include 78,000 enterprises, of
which 19,400 are outside of Medellin. That is,
Medellin has 58,600 enterprises.
Why Medellín?
(These are our reasons)

Investors’ confidence
• According to the Superintendence of Enterprises of Colombia, of the total of
3,150 enterprises in Antioquia, 332 are foreign and 30 are mixed (foreign and
local capital)1

We have an interesting potential market

• Our market size is similar to that of Belo Horizonte, Quito, San Salvador, and
larger than Guayaquil, Puebla, Curitiba, San Juan, Juarez City, San Jose,
Porto Alegre, Cordoba, Rosario, among others
• The city’s GDP in 2008 was US$19.168 million 2, similar to that of Curitiba and
Belo Horizonte, and larger than Porto Alegre, Manaos, Tijuana, Montevideo,
Panama City, Puebla, Córdoba, Guatemala City, San Josa, Quito, Leon,
Valparaiso, among others
• Medellin’s GPD Per Capita in 2008 was estimated at US$ 8.370 million. Our
purchasing power is similar to that of Rosario, Valparaiso, Juarez City and Rio
de Janeiro, and larger than Concepcion, Puebla, Belo Horizonte, San Jose,
Guayaquil, Lima, Quito, among others
• Medellin has 58,600 enterprises3, of which 63 reported sales above US$50
million, 68 exported over $10 million in 2008 and 84 displayed exports
surpassing this amount. We are the country’s region that exports the most
non-traditional products exhibiting growths since 1991.

The Most Representative Enterprises of the Metropolitan Area

Source: SIREM (Information and Corporate Risk System) – Superintendence of

Enterprises – Market Intelligence Bureau – Proexport

1
Source: Exports, Investment and Tourism of Antioquia Report – June 2009. Available at:
http://www.proexport.com.co/vbecontent/NewsDetail.asp?IDCompany=11&ID=10060
2
Source: América Economía - 2009
3
Source: Medellin for Antioquia Chamber of Commerce 2009
Medellin is a city that the world believes in:

The words which define Medellin today are Transformation, Optimism, Modern,
Cohabitation, Education and Culture.

We host large International events:

IDB Assembly – 2009: Attended by 4,706 international visitors during the first 3 days
OAS Assembly – 2008: Attended by 600 foreign visitors, high-level representatives of
the national governments of the countries members of the OAS

Moreover, Medellin will host in 2010 the following large events, among others:

IX South American Games 2010: 3,000 international visitors

VII Biennial Iberian-American on Architecture and Urbanism: 1,000 foreign visitors
III Congress of Iberian-American Culture: 600 international visitors
XI Iberian-American Meeting of Digital Cities: 900 foreign visitors

We have qualified and talented human resources:

We invest 35% of the public budget in education.

We are innovative (537 accredited research groups).

There is public support on investments: Tax incentives.

We have the first community of clusters in the country.

Leading City in Government-Private Sector-Academic alliances:

University – Enterprise – State Committee.

Transparent Public Management:

AAA Rating (Duff & Phelps)
Quality of Life:4
• In % of homes with access to water, we surpass Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro
and Sao Paulo
• In % of homes with access to electricity, we surpass Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo
and Bogota
• In % of homes with access to land-phone service, we surpass Buenos Aires, Rio
de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Bogota
• In % of homes with access to mobile phones, we surpass Rio de Janeiro
• In % of homes with access to the Internet, we surpass Rio de Janeiro
• The average time to move in Medellin is 28,6 minutes, less than that of Sao
Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, La Paz, Santa Cruz, Quito, Lima,
Montevideo, Caracas and Maracaibo
• Medellin is lower than the region’s average in terms of time to move

We have competitive costs:

• In average, Medellin’s homes spend at the most 5,5% of their monthly income
to pay for Water, less than that of Bogota, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
• In average, Medellin’s home spend at the most 8% of their monthly income in
paying for Electricity, less than that of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
• In average, Medellin’s homes spend at the most 5,4% of their monthly income
to pay for Gas, less than Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires
• In average, Medellin’s homes spend at the most 1% of their monthly income to
pay for Public Transportation
• In average, Medellin’s homes spend at the most 5,3% of their monthly income
to pay for Land-Phone service, less than in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and
Buenos Aires
• In average, Medellin’s homes spend at the most 4,4% of their monthly income
to pay for Mobile Phone service, less than in Sao Paulo and in Rio de Janeiro,
and the same than Buenos Aires
• In average, Medellin’s homes spend at the most 1,8% of their monthly income
to pay for Internet service, less than in Bogota, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and
Buenos Aires

4
Source: Roads to the Future: Management of Infrastructure in Latin America (“Caminos para el futuro -
Gestión de la infraestructura en América Latina”) - Corporación Andina de Fomento - 2009.
New Technologies Sector
(Leading in R&D, World class enterprises)

BPO’s (Shared Services)

• LOCATION: Medellin has the same time zone of the eastern coast of U.S.A.
and is located in the middle of the Americas, where the central and northern
regions join the south
• HUMAN TALENT: Skilled, professional, focused on the customer service
culture, and available
• COMPETITIVE COSTS: Due to labor, costs of telecommunications, settings,
electricity, among others
• TAX INCENTIVES: To increase the competitiveness of its operation in the city
• TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE: This is where the number 1
company of the country’s wide band was born, with multinationals operating
• MASS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM: Serves most of the city and plans to expand
its coverage on a short, medium and long-term basis

Software and ICT’s

• LEADERSHIP IN RESEARCH: Research groups in universities develop
knowledge in software and ICT’s
• ICT’s CLUSTER: Business persons from the sector work to provide solutions for
their customers’ most stringent needs
• HUMAN TALENT: Skilled, professional and creative, to solve major technical
challenges
• WORLD CLASS ENTERPRISES: Which have implemented the best and most
demanding international quality standards in their productive processes
• ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGIES BY THE ENTIRE POPULATION: With programs
which emphasize the appropriation of their use
• TECHNOLOGICAL PARKS: Where the enterprises of this sector can install to
become increasingly competitive

Healthcare Sector
(A Healthy City, Top Quality Medicine)

• Antioquia accounts for 20% of the country’s GDP in this sector

• 50% of the hospitals and clinics of Colombia are in Medellin
• The first liver transplant of Latin America and of the trachea worldwide were
preformed in Medellin as well as transplants of the heart, lung, bone marrow,
kidney, stem cells and intestine
• The city has medical professionals with an excellent academic and scientific
background, and has a wide network of hospitals and clinics with high
technology
• Medellin offers comprehensive services with the latest generation of
diagnostic aid equipment, maintaining competitive prices
• Sector’s Trade Show: “Medesalud”

Textile Sector – Garment Manufacturing, Design and Fashion

(Medellin: A City of Fashion, The Milan of Latin America)
 • Medellin accounts for 53% of the country’s textile production and for 35% of
the production of garments
• The city’s share in Colombia’s GDP for textile-garment manufacturing is 54%
• Due to its versatility and to the quality of its labor, Medellin is a leading
manufacturer of male, female, junior and children’s wear
• The city is known for manufacturing casual and formal wear, bathing suits,
underwear, sportswear and jeans, for large players such as Abercrombie &
Fitch, Levi’s, Nike, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger and GAP, among others
• Medellin has the only School of Textile Engineering in Colombia, emphasizing
on R&D
• Sector’s Trade Shows: “Colombiatex de las Américas”, “Colombiamoda”.

Electric Energy Sector

(We Have the Best Energy, We Generate Competitiveness)

• Installed Capacity: 13456.8 MW, 67,1% hydraulic, 32,6

thermal and 0,3% wind-power and co-generation.
• The National Transmission System (or STN): 10.999 KM of
transmission lines operating at 220 kv. and 230 kv. as well as 1,449 Km. of
lines at 500 kv.
• Antioquia Leads: 23% share, Bogota with 21% and Atlantico
with 12%.
• Affiliates of the Electric Energy Cluster: 2,774 from the
region, with assets of US$15.930 million. More than 90% are located in
Medellin
• Investment opportunities in electricity generation: US$6.3
billion in the next 10 years
• Strategic Sector for the Region: Generates approximately 6%
of the department’s GDP
• World Class Enterprises: EPM provides integrated utilities of
electric energy, water, water systems & sewage, gas and telecommunications
(with UNE), covering close to 100%. ISA covers about 72% with the
transmission networks.
• Sector’s Trade Show: “FISE”.

Construction Sector
(Building Development, Building Future)

• Headquarters of important enterprises: Of engineering, construction and

suppliers of goods
• Affiliates of the Construction Cluster: About 8,334 affiliates, with assets of
US$8.210 million

• Exports: Ceramics, plastics, glass, paints, varnishes, iron and steel

manufacturers, among others
• Antioquia Leads: Accounts for 15% of Colombia’s construction GDP. In terms
of the construction of buildings, the region represents 17% of the country’s
total.
• Mega-projects: La Montaña highways, Integrated Transportation System of
the Aburra Valley, and Road Concession of the Medellin River
• Sector’s Trade Show: “Expocamacol”.