Last March 18, Eloy Cantú Segovia delivered an interesting lecture to the Northeastern Association of Risk Managers (AARNAC) on the topic of the Economic Development of Nuevo León and the Outlook for the Future, as seen by the state government and the department he heads up.

 

Some of the highlights of his lecture were the following: Nuevo León, with 4% of the country's population, produces 7% of Mexico's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This GDP in the state of Nuevo León has, from 1988 to 2003, gradually shifted in make-up from manufacturing to services. Regarding economic growth, Cantú Segovia said that we will undoubtedly achieve it this year, mainly due to the growth in the United States, since this is an election year and traditionally there is a larger budget outlay in such years. However, for Mexico this is circumstantial growth, and not structural.

Eloy Cantú also said that Nuevo León wishes to develop businesses with spearhead technology, such as suppliers for the aerospace, software, home-appliance, auto-parts and metal machining industries. He believes Nuevo León has the human resources (intellectual) and wants to move from manufacturing to “mental-facturing,” though not neglecting the development of existing and successful manufacturing companies, that is, “further strengthening Nuevo León's traditional strengths.”

The department he is in charge of is operating with a “Future Vision,” seeking to improve the state's competitiveness, because as a country we have been losing competitiveness for various reasons, including the high cost of gas, gasoline, telecommunications, transportation, and bureaucratic red-tape.
The department is working with an industrial policy and an economic program that contemplates a planning horizon reaching even beyond the current state government's six-year term. Eloy Cantú feels that competitiveness is one of the most important topics for the current government, after law and order, and competitiveness should not mean “looking at the potholes in the rear-view mirror,” that is, not working on fixing problems that have already appeared and had their negative effect, but establishing preventive measures.

Also, along with the four neighboring states, Nuevo León is working on joint programs to consolidate a leading regional economy. Considering the GDP of the four states in the region, Coahuila produces 3% of national GDP, Nuevo León 7%, Tamaulipas 3%; adding these three to the GDP of the state of Texas would result in the seventh strongest economy in the world.

“We in Nuevo León are an enterprising and enthusiastic community and will, as always, see our state through to success,” said Cantú, adding that the Department of Economic Development is preparing tax incentive plans, scholarships, etc., and is creating joint funds to reward businesses that increase their competitiveness through technological improvement. It also seeks to reward associative and participative culture.

Among the major actions planned for 2004 are the following:
1. Regulatory improvement – reduce red-tape and time.
2. Loans for MyPIMES. Provide aid to men over age 40 who have recently lost their employment and
to women who are the breadwinners for their homes (single mothers).
3. Business Service Center.
4. Industrial Clusters.
5. Virtual www business centers.
6. Encouragement of Foreign Investment.
7. Industrial Infrastructure, assigning an account executive to solve specific problems.
8. Assistance for Exporting Companies
9. Conacyt-Nuevo León agreement.
10. Education: Love for Learning – Learning City.
11. Cooperation with chambers and organisms.

At the close of his lecture, Eloy Cantú Segovia was presented with a token of appreciation by Jorge Escalera Alcázar, current president of AARNAC, and Jesús Rodríguez Treviño, associate host for AARNAC for the month of March.

 

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SPEAKER:
ELOY CANTU SEGOVIA
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
NUEVO LEON STATE GOVERNMENT
Elizondo Páez Building, 8th Floor, 5 de Mayo 525 Ote., Monterrey, N. L., C. P. 64000
Tel: 2020-6500 / 01
Fax: 2020-6508

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