Kirk LaughlinThe seventh edition of Costa Rica Technology Insight 2011 opened Wednesday. The conference has featured attendance by Anabel Gonzalez, Minister of Commerce and President of the board of directors of PROCOMER, the foreign trade promotion agency; Jorge Sequeira, General Manager of PROCOMER; and Alexander Mora, President of CAMTIC, the association of IT and communications industries.
The conference has attracted 160 Costa Rican and international businesses looking to establish business and production partnerships.
The inaugural lecture was delivered by Frances Karamaousis, VP and analyst for Gartner. She discussed the high value of Costa Rican human capital and the need to continue with an educational process that will enhance the country’s capabilities.
In the same vein, Minister González stressed that “the sector of digital technology has been very successful.” It is innovative, organized, and presents a vision for the country’s future, she said. The results are evident: 30% of total exports of the country are related to this sector.
The challenges, she said, are to continue to strengthen human resources, expand the technological capacity of the country through the opening of telecommunications and the increased penetration of broadband, negotiate trade agreements based on the concept of digital products, and protect intellectual property. “The work of the Government in each of these areas is very important for growth and development of the sector and, thus, of the country,” Gonzalez said.
“This Technology Insight breaks a record participation of companies come from India, United States, Canada, and other 13 destinations,” PROCOMER’s Jorge Sequeira said. “We have succeeded in organizing 1,800 business appointments in two days, for a sector that last year generated $1.214 billion in exports of computer and information services.”
“Costa Rica has no doubt great strength in the people’s ability to learn and in their creative ability,” said Alexander Mora of CAMTIC. In addition, domestic firms offer flexibility due to scale, he said. “This allows them to adapt to new market conditions,” he said.
Today’s conference featured a panel discussion on the issue of how to improve the position of Costa Rica in the area of outsourcing. Panelists included Frank Casale, CEO of the Outsourcing Institute; Dan Rubinetti, VP of Nearshore Americas; Jerry Luftman, Director of IT Management at Stevens Institute of Technology; and Alexander Mora of CAMTIC.
The conference was scheduled to close with a discussion of financing for the digital sector, featuring Jaime Guzmán, President and CEO of JGF Financial Inc.; Allan Rodriguez, cofounder of E3 Capital; and Ronald Jiménez, founder and President of CODISA Software Corp.
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