QCOSTARICA (Revista Summa) The increase in landline and mobile internet connections in most of the 82 cantons is increasing the levels of competitiveness in Costa Rica, as revealed by the second National Competitiveness Index (ICN) study prepared by the Council’s experts. Promotion of Competitiveness (CPC).
According to the study, there are two reasons for the difference in the connection rate in the latest results: the increase in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and the improvement in the performance of 3G mobile services, given the number of providers offered by Costa. There is a market in Rica.
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For example, between 2020 and 2021, the number of fixed Internet connections increased by more than 66,000, which translates into an increase of 6.7%. 49 out of 82 cantons of the country benefited from this increase.
The report was presented on Monday, November 28, at an event attended by Costa Rican Vice President Stefan Brunner and Secretary General of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinax.
Monica Segnini, President of the Promotion Board, explained that “the National Competitiveness Index responds to the latent need of many actors who require robust, reliable and at the same time practical information to make investment decisions. implementation of projects and other types in the country’s territory. As a CPC, we are pleased to present this index to all sectors, both in the report we produce and in the information we make available to everyone through the index website.”
This year, ICN includes 123 indicators that are combined to briefly show the level of competitiveness of the different areas that make up the country. The indicator has dimensions in six pillars: institutions, infrastructure, adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), health, skills and competences, and market dynamism.
The transport infrastructure dimension – in the infrastructure column – is the dimension showing the lowest relative results. This means that the cantonal road network is in poor condition and requires more investment to maintain it properly.
ICN notes that the degree of quality control of the works carried out in the cantonal road network under the municipality’s responsibility increases competitiveness. For example, the amount of investment is higher for highly competitive cantons (¢3.5 million) than for developing, limited or underperforming cantons (¢2.8 million on average).
Recognition of cantons outside GAM
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In this second Competitiveness Index, the performance of five cantons is highlighted, with the impact of important values such as health, connectivity and education, presenting an improvement in competitiveness.
These are the cantons of Osa, Río Cuarto, Poas, Carrillo and Liberia, which increased their competitiveness levels from 1% to 3.3%. These are the only cantons with positive changes, as the change in competitiveness was zero or negative for the remaining 77 cantons.
In the overall ranking, 12 cantons achieved a high level of performance. The first canton is Montes de Oca (San Pedro) with 68.2, which remains in that position for the second year in a row; followed by Heredia with 68.1; and Belen with 67.9.
Canton of Flores (Heredia) 65.6, Cartago 65.3; Santa Ana 64.9 and Escazu 64.6. 64.6 for Moravia, ranked 8th, and 64.3 for San Pablo de Heredia; and 63.4 for San Isidro; Ditto for Curridabat, while Santo Domingo was last with 63.3 points.
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Another 22 cantons are classified as developing countries, meaning they perform well in some pillars and dimensions, but poorly in many others, giving them a wide window of opportunity for growth and improvement.
Finally, 18 cantons were classified in the limited performance category because they show a low level of competitiveness in most of the dimensions, while another 6 cantons are at the bottom of the ranking with poor performance or very low scores. with all its dimensions and columns.
Border cantons such as Talamanca, Los Chiles and La Cruz stand out for their low competitiveness. But in addition to these, the ICN showed a geographic region with low scores connecting bordering cantons; Turrubares, Garabito and Parrita.
An important tool
The National Competitiveness Index has been developed and published annually since 2021, and the tool is so versatile that it not only matches and compares different cantons with each other, but also identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each canton in each area assessed. elaborates.
For the implementation of this study prepared by the Council for the Promotion of Competitiveness with the sponsorship and commitment of the Coca-Cola Company, the Banco National Financial Conglomerate and the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica (ULatina), as well as the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Cabei).
William Segura, Public Relations, Communications and Sustainability Manager for Coca-Cola Central America, said, “The National Competitiveness Index, which will be published by the Council for the Promotion of Competitiveness, is not limited to traditional indicators, but instead incorporates measures of commitment. Although only 12% of waste is recovered today, it is important to ensure that our territories not only strive to produce more, but also do so in an environmentally friendly manner. for its evaluation. For this reason, we join the efforts of Coca Cola to develop this valuable index.”
María Brenes, Banco Nacional’s Director of Institutional Relations and Sustainability, says, “The National Competitiveness Index is valuable because it allows communities and the country as a whole to focus on policies and activities to improve their quality of life and ultimately achieve better results. investment and business opportunities to create enterprises and employment. With these initiatives and our “Together We Are Close, Human, Sustainable” business model from the Financial Conglomerate, we maintain our decisive role in supporting the country’s development, creating economic value, caring for the environment and working to leave a positive impact. noted throughout Costa Rican society.
Rosa Monge, rector of ULatina, emphasized that she is part of the CPC, “because we see that it is an ideal space for discussion, analysis, study of all issues that directly affect economic growth, economic development and competitiveness. our country. CPC bases its management on the fundamental pillars of education, business development, government management, as well as social development, and we know that academia can make a very important contribution, and we are making a very important contribution to get the necessary input and information. so that the CPC can make effective proposals for the development and development of our country.”
Read the original in Spanish at Revista Summa.
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