Ortega’s Head of Foreign Investment Opens Up about BPO, Venezuela and Getting the Facts Out There
August 22nd, 2011
By Luke Bujarski
In an exclusive behind-closed-doors interview, Nearshore Americas and market research firm Ovum teamed up to speak with Mr. Alvaro Baltodano, politically appointed head of investment promotion for Nicaragua’s Ortega Administration. From labor capacity to investor perceptions, Mr. Baltodano was very well informed and open to talk about the key issues.
“Pro-Business” Ortega Makes Surprise Appearance at Nicaragua Conference
August 17th, 2011
NSAM's Luke Bujarski meets with Ortega in Managua
President Daniel Ortega made a surprise appearance last night at “Let’s Grow Together“, an International Investment forum organized by ProNicaragua and being held in Managua. In a surprise turn of events, “El Presidente” arrived at the Hotel Intercontinental to address a crowd of 150 foreign and domestic investors and economic development professionals.
In total, 65 companies from Latin America, Taiwan and the United States are at the event watching closely for signs of true investment potential and a commitment from government officials.
Registration Opens for Nicaragua’s Premier Investment Forum
July 20th, 2011PRONicaragua recently announced the organization of the premier investment forum titled Nicaragua, Let’s Grow Together!, which will showcase the country’s sustainable growth in various economic sectors and its competitive advantages as an attractive destination for foreign direct investment (FDI).
The event will take place on August 16th and 17th in Managua, Nicaragua, and will focus on specialized sectors such as apparel, footwear, food processing and manufacturing, as well as world-class bilingual business process outsourcing services. Participants will be coming from various countries in Asia, Europe, North, Central and South America.
Some of the topics that will be discussed during this year’s edition include an overview of Nicaragua’s industrial sector, market access, investment incentives, offshoring guidelines, latest industry trends and the country’s most profitable investment opportunities. The program will also include networking activities as well as site visits to successful and leading foreign investment projects operating in the country.
“Nicaragua’s …
Ortega's future depends on economics
By Luke Bujarski
With President Daniel Ortega seeking a controversial third term in the upcoming November election, both the international community and the people of Nicaragua are closely monitoring this country’s economic progress, as a test to Ortega’s effectiveness and legitimacy as a national leader. In this analysis, we revisit Ortega’s presidency and what his political and economic policies could mean for investors in Nicaragua, and for Central America as a whole.
Nicaragua the Unlikely Winner in CAFTA-DR Pact with U.S.
April 11th, 2011Source: Miami Herald / Bellingham Herald
MANAGUA, Nicaragua — The United States free-trade agreement with Central America and the Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR) celebrated its fifth anniversary this week with American officials hailing the pact’s exemplary success in Nicaragua — the region’s unlikely poster child for economic growth and job creation under the agreement.
For a country governed by a self-declared socialist who often rails against the evils of “savage capitalism,” Nicaragua has benefited from CAFTA more than any other signatory country. And despite the Sandinista Front’s initial attempts to block the trade agreement six years ago, claiming it would be a “death certificate” for farmers and small producers, officials from the now-ruling party now praise CAFTA and claim its successes as their own.
“Since entering into force in 2006, CAFTA has become a key instrument to attracting foreign investment, increasing exports and creating jobs in Nicaragua,” said retired Sandinista military general …
Nicaragua to Grow Faster Than Rest of Latin America, Study Says
March 25th, 2011CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — With a total revenue forecast around $448 million for 2011, Nicaragua ranks last in Latin America. However, the country is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8 percent over the next five years, ahead of the 4.9 percent average expected for Latin America, according to a new report from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com).
Nicaragua: Growing Faster than Latin American Average through 2015 offers a precise profile of the country’s telecommunications, media and technology sectors based on proprietary data from Pyramid’s research in the market. It provides detailed competitive analysis of both the fixed and mobile sectors, tracks the market shares of technologies and services and monitors the introduction and spread of new technologies.
“Not only will Nicaragua grow at a faster rate than Latin America’s average, the growth rate in Nicaragua will be the fastest of all countries in Central America due to …
Tale of Two Central America Cities: One Prospers While Another Loses Its Sparkle
February 24th, 2011
Is Managua the gateway to long term call center/ BPO value in Central America?
Managua is red hot, and Panama City is not, at least in the BPO world. Why?
By Tarun George
With 3000 employees in Panama City, and around 2000 in Managua, Sitel could be the call center company most invested in Central America. But lately it seems the company is aggressively expanding its footprint in Nicaragua, while putting its other regional operations like Panama on the backburner. That subtle strategy change is representative of a wider trend. Managua has attracted some juicy deals in recent years – GE, Walmart, Kraft, Stream, Sitel – while several high profile pullouts from Panama City in recent years tell a very different story.
So is Managua really on the rise and Panama City on the decline? We decided to investigate the various drivers making these two Central American cities appear to go in opposite directions.
CIO View: Straight Talk on Latin America Telecom Reliability
February 3rd, 2011Former CIO of Stream: Be careful that low-cost markets don’t mean low-performing telecom
By Tarun George
What happens when your Latin America delivery center phone lines go down? A few markets in the region are still not fully privatized while others have only begun to make networks redundant.
We sat down with Bob Lyons, who has managed ICT strategies and operations for Stream Global Services (as CIO), Avaya and Convergys, and has in-depth experience of the telecom market in Latin America. He tells us what the pain points are in LatAm ICT, and how firms can still maintain a reliable network. Read on for more.
Sitel Q&A Part 2: As Investors Notice Nicaragua, English Becomes Chief Concern
December 27th, 2010
Invercasa, Sitel's first location in Nicaragua
By Tarun George
Since locating to Nicaragua in 2008, Sitel has aggressively ramped up its delivery centers and employee numbers in the capital city of Managua. In Part two of this special Q&A, Mel Vance, Sitel’s Senior VP for Central America, lays out his plans for a large scale hiring spree in the country starting with the addition of 450 more seats last month. However, high level English proficiency will become an issue in coming years. Read on for more.
Sitel Q&A Part 1: Nicaragua Labor Unions in the Pro-Labor World of Daniel Ortega
December 22nd, 2010
Sitel's Vance: "A lot of Ortega’s former colleagues when he was in power under the Sandinistas are now adopters of capitalism and free-market enterprise"
By Tarun George
Nicaragua is attracting intense attention as a sourcing target because of its complete lack of labor union activity in the call center space. BPO players like Sitel have been merrily expanding in the country, having opened their third center in Managua in late November to service the US market.
Nearshore Americas caught up with Mel Vance, Sitel’s Senior VP – Central America, to find out why labor unions are not visible and whether the concerns of many US firms’ over President Daniel Ortega are justified.
