Consecomercio proposes attracting Colombian investment to reactivate Venezuelan industrial plants

The president of the National Council of Commerce and Services (Consecomercio), José Gregorio Rodríguez, argued that the trade relationship between Venezuela and Colombia should go beyond the purchase of finished goods and focus on attracting investment from the neighboring country, according to the outlet Descifrado, which reported it on August 26, 2026.

During an interview on Unión Radio cited by the portal, the business leader said the strategy seeks to have Colombian companies that decide to set up operations in Venezuela manufacture products locally. This would allow them to supply the domestic market and direct any surplus to exports to the Caribbean region.

The proposal is built on three main pillars: import substitution to generate formal employment through domestic production, the use of idle capacity through meetings with Colombian businesspeople to invest in inactive plants, and a joint export scheme. It is a business-sector initiative and not a signed agreement or an official public policy between the two governments.

In the broader macroeconomic picture, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects real GDP growth of 4.0% for Venezuela in 2026 and 6.0% in 2027, while it estimates rates of 2.3% and 2.5% for Colombia in those same years. It is worth noting that these figures are the institution's overall estimates and not results derived directly from the business group's proposal.

The initiative opens a debate on the conditions needed for foreign capital to revive an industrial base that has shrunk after years of economic contraction, a process in which legal certainty and financing act as decisive factors.