dinero_admin The Corporación de Exportadores de El Salvador (COEXPORT) recently held a high-level meeting with President Nayib Bukele and members of his government team to present a series of proposals aimed at boosting sustained export growth and strengthening investment attraction.
During the meeting, President Bukele highlighted the exceptional moment El Salvador is experiencing and the country’s ability to move quickly in a highly competitive global environment. In his words:
“There are few countries in the world, I would dare say none in this continent, that have the conditions we have to go like this. China can do it, Singapore can do it, Qatar can do it, the Emirates can do it, the United States can do it, Saudi Arabia can do it, but Mexico cannot do it, Brazil cannot do it. We can. We are the only country in the Western Hemisphere that can make quick decisions as they are made in Singapore”.
Representing the export sector, the president of COEXPORT, Silvia Cuellar, expressed appreciation for the international positioning that El Salvador has achieved in recent years, which has opened new business opportunities and aroused the interest of international investors, especially in strategic sectors such as manufacturing, technology, infrastructure, and tourism.
“Today El Salvador is seen as a new innovation hub in Central America and a natural platform to take advantage of nearshoring and value chains. We must ensure that domestic conditions accompany this moment of opportunity”, said Cuellar, who also highlighted the willingness of the government team to address the challenges of the sector.
COEXPORT acknowledged the progress made in security matters during President Bukele’s first term and emphasized that the great challenge of this five-year term is to consolidate economic growth. In this context, the export sector proposed working together to achieve a sustained 10% annual increase in exports.
As part of the agenda presented, four priority issues for immediate attention were raised:
1. Negotiation with the United States to eliminate the 10% tariff, which affects the competitiveness of salvadoran products.
2. Fiscal incentives to strengthen the export sector, including the reimbursement of export VAT through immediate crossover against all types of taxes and the expansion of benefits in Zonas Francas y Depósitos para Perfeccionamiento Activo (DPAs).
3. Optimization of the logistics infrastructure, especially the operational improvement of the Port of Acajutla and the extension of the Anguiatú highway to the Atlantic highway.
4. Creation of a high-level public-private entity, chaired by the Executive, to coordinate efforts to promote exports and investments in a strategic manner.
In addition, concrete investment initiatives were shared, including Health City, focused on the export of medical services; a film cluster; and the development of housing areas and recreational activities aimed at various market segments.
President Bukele welcomed the proposals and confirmed his support for the creation of the public-private coordination entity, reaffirming his commitment to ongoing dialogue and collaboration with the productive sector.
COEXPORT reiterated its willingness to continue generating proposals, articulating efforts and actively contributing to the construction of a dynamic, competitive economic model oriented towards international markets. The strategic moment El Salvador is experiencing must be seized with long-term vision, institutional efficiency, and shared commitment.
