As part of its cooperation with the Federal Investment Council (CFI), ECLAC delivered three modules in the Provincial Investment and Export Promotion Program, a course aimed at more than 80 officials from Argentine provinces. This initiative is part of the activities the United Nations regional commission is promoting to strengthen the institutional capacities of countries and their territories in matters of productive development and economic governance.

Within the framework of its commitment to regional productive development and its cooperation with the Federal Investment Council (CFI in Spanish) of Argentina, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) conducted three modules on foreign direct investment (FDI) and international trade in the Provincial Investment and Export Promotion Program, organized by CFI. The program aims to strengthen the technical capacities of each province of the Argentine Republic and includes 13 virtual classes for 85 provincial officials.

The first module, focused on FDI, was taught by Cecilia Plottier, Head of the Unit on Investment, Human Talent, and Other Enablers of Productive Development at ECLAC. It aimed to provide conceptual and analytical tools to promote foreign investment aligned with the productive transformation of territories.

The second module addressed the current outlook of international trade and tools for the strategic planning of international integration. It was delivered by Fernando García Díaz, Program Management Officer at ECLAC’s Argentina Office.

The final module explored trade promotion as a key policy to support companies — especially SMEs — in their internationalization processes. It was led by Nanno Mulder, Head of the International Trade Unit at ECLAC.

FDI Dynamics in the Region

During the training, the heterogeneity of foreign investment in Latin America and the Caribbean was analyzed. Plottier emphasized that the motivations of transnational companies vary significantly between subregions; in Mexico and Central America, investment has been closely tied to nearshoring processes aimed at the North American market, such as in the auto parts, medical devices, or electronics sectors. In contrast, in South America, investment is mainly associated with natural resources, financial services, telecommunications, and transportation.

These dynamics have been monitored by ECLAC through its annual report Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the most recent edition, Argentina ranked fifth in 2023 in terms of the number of new investment project announcements, particularly in telecommunications, hydrocarbons, and manufacturing sectors.

Another topic discussed was the management of FDI at the provincial level. A recent ECLAC study revealed a high territorial concentration of investment, both in terms of volume and strategic sectors. In Argentina, for example, provinces like Neuquén attract significant flows due to their sectoral profile, although with fewer individual projects.

In this context, the need to strengthen vertical coordination between levels of government and institutions was highlighted. Having a clear national strategy allows for aligned efforts and prevents FDI from setting the direction of development — when it should be the other way around. Along the same lines, Plottier stressed the importance of strengthening the capacities of subnational governments to design and implement their own policies and to establish mechanisms for monitoring and impact evaluation.

International Trade Dynamics

Regarding international integration, García Díaz reviewed the regional challenges tied to the new global scenario, marked by a slowdown in trade and increased protectionism, which could worsen external imbalances and hinder export diversification.

In this context, he emphasized the importance of reinforcing strategic planning, taking into account the opportunities available in each country, region, and province. Several analytical tools were explored to identify sectoral opportunities to expand exports, such as Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA), Economics of Complexity, and the Product Space methodology.

These opportunities are explored in ECLAC’s publication Argentina’s Export Challenge: Exploring Short- and Medium-Term Potential, which identifies export potential based on expanding existing capabilities.

Exercises of this nature can be replicated at the subnational level, enabling the design of internationalization strategies for provincial territories based on concrete, data-driven opportunities.

The dynamics of international trade in the region have been monitored and analyzed in another of ECLAC’s annual reports: International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2024: Global Trade Reconfiguration and Options for Regional Recovery.

Trade Promotion Tools for Companies

Regarding trade promotion tools, Mulder explained traditional strategies such as trade fairs, business roundtables, and trade missions, detailing the steps and benefits of each. He then focused on export promotion in the digital age, highlighting the role of digital marketing, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and the creation of culturally and linguistically tailored websites for target markets. He also presented nine steps for an export digital marketing strategy, including market research, technical SEO, social media presence, paid advertising, and continuous analysis. He emphasized the importance of constant results measurement and the adaptation of strategies.

ECLAC’s participation in this CFI course is part of its technical cooperation initiatives to strengthen subnational capacities for better governance of productive development policies. In this context, on Thursday, June 12, the ECLAC Office in Argentina began teaching the course Argentine Macroeconomics as part of CFI’s Specialization Program in Development and Public Policy. This program is aimed at young people with the vocation to occupy decision-making roles in provincial government administrations, and this marks the fourth edition of the program with ECLAC participation.

In this vein, ECLAC reaffirms its commitment to supporting countries and their territories in the formulation of productive development strategies based on transforming productive structures and developing new capacities.