Carmen Ligia Valderrama Rojas Appointed Colombia’s New Minister of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC).

Carmen Ligia Valderrama Rojas was inaugurated today as the new minister of information and communications technologies. Valderrama Rojas was appointed by President Iván Duque to replace Karen Abudinen, who resigned last September due to a corruption scandal around a contract to deploy internet service to rural Colombian schools.

According to her official biography, Valderrama Rojas has a law degree and a specialization in Business Law from Universidad Externado de Colombia, she also holds a master’s degree in Business Law from the Garrigues & Andersen European Center for Training and Business Studies in Madrid, Spain.

Valderrama Rojas has served as transportation superintendent, head of the legal office, general secretary and advisor to the superintendent. She has also held the positions of delegated superintendent for industrial property, consumer protection and superintendent in charge of Industry and Commerce.

The new minister has experience in academia, researching and teaching at her own alma mater Universidad Externado de Colombia. She has been an advisor to the Expert Group on Competition and Consumer Protection of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

At the time of her appointment as minister of information and communications technologies, Valderrama Rojas was serving as deputy minister of transportation.

President Duque has mentioned that one of Valderrama Rojas’ stronger mandates will be to advance towards the goal of training 100,000 computer programmers, connect more than 70% of the country’s population with high-speed internet and expand the digital economy.