Colombia’s national government has contracted five parametric agricultural insurance policies covering 14,402 smallholder farmers across Sucre, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Meta and Chocó, with protection extending to as many as 41,600 people in farming households. The policies provide up to $20.14 million in coverage against drought and excess rainfall as Colombia prepares for the anticipated effects of El Niño in the second half of 2026.

The policies took effect August 1, 2026, giving participating departments a financial mechanism designed to respond more quickly when severe weather thresholds are reached.

“Preparing for El Niño means acting before disasters strike. Through this collaboration between the national government, the five participating departments and international partners, we are providing smallholder farmers with the financial protection they need to manage climate risks and protect their livelihoods.” – Lucy Inés García Montes, Governor of Sucre

The initiative is led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) and FINAGRO, in coordination with the governments of the five participating departments.

The program was delivered through the Tripartite Agreement Programme, a public-private partnership involving the Insurance Development Forum (IDF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), with financing channeled through the InsuResilience Solutions Fund (ISF).

How parametric insurance works

Unlike conventional agricultural insurance, which generally requires an assessment of physical losses before a claim can be paid, the policies use a satellite-derived Water Balance Index monitored at the municipal level.

The index compares current conditions with historical data to identify periods of severe drought or excess rainfall. When predetermined thresholds are exceeded, payments are triggered automatically, potentially allowing affected farmers to receive financial support without waiting for individual loss assessments.

The product was co-designed by MADR with an IDF-member consortium comprising Guy Carpenter, Swiss Re, AXA Climate, Munich Re, insurtech company Raincoat and Colombian insurer La Previsora.

The consortium members and ISF co-financed the initiative, while the first-year premium was jointly funded by the Colombian government and ISF.

First departmental use of parametric insurance

The program represents the first use of parametric insurance by departmental governments in Colombia as a tool for agricultural risk management, according to the organizations involved.

For participating departments, the coverage is intended to provide a source of rapid financing following severe climate events while reducing reliance on emergency public funds. The initiative is also designed to establish the technical, legal and financial foundations for expanding parametric agricultural insurance to additional departments.

José Fernando Sánchez, senior vice president of Guy Carpenter Colombia and an IDF member, said the consortium’s participation demonstrated the potential of public-private collaboration to protect livelihoods and strengthen Colombia’s insurance market.

Dr. Annette Detken, head of the InsuResilience Solutions Fund, said climate-risk insurance can help smallholder farmers and rural communities recover more quickly from drought and excess rainfall.

The UNDP worked with MADR and FINAGRO to integrate the insurance policies into Colombia’s broader agricultural risk-management framework. Its work included supporting product development and strengthening the institutional capacity of departmental governments to adopt parametric insurance.

The program comes as Colombia seeks to strengthen financial tools for managing agricultural exposure to increasingly volatile weather conditions. By using predefined climate indicators rather than conventional claims assessments, parametric coverage is designed to provide liquidity soon after a qualifying event and help farmers maintain their livelihoods and productive capacity.

Building a model for climate-risk financing

The five policies cover farmers in departments with different agricultural profiles and climate exposures, creating a multi-region test of how satellite-based insurance can operate within Colombia’s decentralized agricultural risk-management system.

The initiative’s backers say the experience could provide a foundation for scaling parametric insurance to other parts of the country, while building local government capacity to identify, finance and manage climate risks.

For smallholder farmers, the immediate benefit is financial protection against weather events that can damage crops and undermine household income. For governments and insurers, the program offers a way to shift part of the financial burden of climate-related agricultural losses away from emergency response and toward pre-arranged risk financing.

The Insurance Development Forum is a public-private partnership co-chaired by UNDP and the World Bank Group that brings insurance expertise together with public policy and development priorities to strengthen resilience to disasters.

Headline photo by Frank Meriño via Pexels)

More than 600 students from indigenous, Afro-descendant, and campesino communities across Colombia have arrived at the EcoCampus of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) in Medellín for the in-person phase of the Licenciatura en Etnoeducación, the university’s ethnoeducation teaching degree.

The residency is run in partnership with the Instituto Misionero de Antropología (IMA). Students come from communities including the Awá, Embera, Kogui, Tikuna, and Wayuu peoples. UPB said more than 26 languages are represented among the participants, who take part in projects that focus on teaching their languages, traditions, cultural practices, and their communities’ own systems of governance.

“Through this degree program, the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana generates a real impact in the territories. We are proud to offer professional training to indigenous, Afro-descendant, and campesino teachers who, because of the geographic conditions of their communities, face greater barriers to accessing higher education.” — Olga Lucía Arbeláez Rojas, coordinator of the Licenciatura en Etnoeducación, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Participants come from departments including Cauca, Putumayo, Amazonas, Vichada, Guainía, Chocó, Sucre, Córdoba, and Antioquia, along with students from Venezuela and Kenya.

UPB is marking 53 years of the Licenciatura en Etnoeducación, which it describes as a program that has brought higher education to communities far from major urban centers and now counts more than 5,000 graduates.

The model combines academic work carried out in the students’ home territories with intensive in-person sessions in Medellín. Each semester, students travel to the UPB EcoCampus to strengthen skills, share experiences, and consolidate knowledge they later apply in their communities.

“Through this degree program, the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana generates a real impact in the territories. We are proud to offer professional training to indigenous, Afro-descendant, and campesino teachers who, because of the geographic conditions of their communities, face greater barriers to accessing higher education,” said Olga Lucía Arbeláez Rojas, coordinator of the program.

The degree integrates anthropology, linguistics, pedagogy, and the social sciences, training students to work as promoters of ethnodevelopment and community-led change in their own regions.

According to UPB, graduates of the program work as teachers, cultural managers, farmers, and directors of community organizations, and some serve as mayors, councilmembers, and secretaries of education in different regions of the country.

More information about the program is available on UPB’s ethnoeducation page.

The allocation follows capital discipline criteria and maintains investment levels comparable to projected 2025 year-end figures. Approximately 70% of the total budget ($17.2 trillion COP) is designated for core hydrocarbons operations, including production, refining, and transportation. The remaining 30% ($7.1 trillion COP) is slated for energy transition initiatives, power transmission, and corporate investments.

The 2026 financial model is built on an estimated Brent crude price of $60 USD per barrel and an average annual exchange rate near COP 4,050:1 USD. Under these assumptions, the Ecopetrol Group projects an approximate EBITDA margin of 40%, in line with 2025 levels. Transfers to the Colombian government are estimated at approximately $28 trillion COP. To support these financial targets and maintain debt metrics, the group plans to implement a portfolio rotation program.

A profitability and efficiency program is expected to contribute approximately $5.7 trillion COP, impacting EBITDA, investments, and working capital. This program is structured to support performance in total refining costs and transported barrel costs, while sustaining lifting costs below $12 USD per barrel.

Approximately $1.7 trillion COP is allocated to the company’s “SosTECnibility” strategy, focusing on climate change, sustainable territories, materials and waste management, and occupational health.

Hydrocarbons and Midstream Operations

Investment in exploration and production totals $14 trillion COP, constituting the largest single allocation. This is split with 89% dedicated to crude oil and 11% to natural gas, focused on achieving organic production levels of 730–740 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOED). Production is anticipated to consist of 80% crude, 15% gas, and 5% white products, utilizing recovery technologies to optimize resources. The strategy involves increasing crude oil output in Colombia to offset natural gas field declines.

The Ecopetrol Group plans to drill between 380 and 430 development wells, with 95% located in Colombia and 5% in the US. The exploration program includes 8 to 10 exploratory wells in Colombia, primarily in offshore, Meta, and Putumayo areas. Gas investments are estimated at $1.5 trillion COP, mainly targeting the Llanos Foothills and offshore areas to develop Caribbean gas, contributing an estimated 105–110,000 BOED.

Transport investments total about $1.5 trillion COP, representing 6% of the budget. The funding is primarily for integrity and reliability projects managed by Cenit, Ocensa, Oleoducto de Colombia S.A.), and Oleoducto del Llano S.A. Transported volumes are targeted between 1,110,000 and 1,120,000 barrels per day.

Refining investments are set at close to $1.7 trillion COP (7% of the budget), targeting reliability, availability, and sustainability at the Barrancabermeja and Cartagena refineries, aiming to reduce product imports and improve fuel quality. Combined refinery throughput is forecast between 410,000 and 420,000 barrels per day.

Energy Transition and Transmission Segment Growth

Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. E.S.P. (ISA) (BVC: ISA), an Ecopetrol subsidiary, is allocated between $6.2 and $6.8 trillion COP in 2026, comprising roughly 26% of the group’s annual budget, with approximately 80% dedicated to its electric transmission business.

For the core energy transition efforts, approximately $0.9 trillion COP (3% of the plan) is earmarked for non-conventional renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. This investment seeks to add approximately 750 MW of clean energy generation capacity from projects in operation, construction, and development.

Renewable Energy Acquisition Moves Ecopetrol Closer to 900 MW Target

In a separate announcement, Ecopetrol confirmed the successful conclusion of negotiations on November 28, 2025, with Grenergy Renovables S.A. (BME: GRE), a Spanish renewable energy company. The negotiations concern the potential acquisition by Ecopetrol of seven solar photovoltaic project companies in Colombia, located across the departments of Córdoba (3), Cesar (2), Magdalena (1), and Sucre (1).

Each of the seven companies owns the assets, licenses, agreements, and permits for a solar project with an estimated renewable energy generation capacity of up to ~12.6 MWp. The completion of this acquisition is contingent upon certain conditions precedent and legal requirements.

Upon closing, the transaction would contribute to Ecopetrol’s decarbonization and energy transition goals by adding installed capacity toward its internal target of 900 MW of self-generated renewable energy. These projects are intended to support low-emission energy generation under competitive conditions for the Ecopetrol Group’s self-consumption, reducing the company’s reliance on bilateral energy contracts and mitigating exposure to spot market energy purchases.

Corporate Governance Changes

Ecopetrol also reported changes to its corporate leadership. During a meeting held on November 27, 2025, the board of directors elected Ángela María Robledo Gómez as Chairwoman and Álvaro Torres Macías as Vice Chairman of the Board. Both individuals were elected to the Ecopetrol Board of Directors in a slate that was “proposed by the government” (President Gustavo Petro’s administration).

Additionally, the company reported the resignation of Independent Director Guillermo García Realpe, citing personal reasons. His resignation is effective as of December 12, 2025. Ecopetrol acknowledged his service to the company during his tenure.

Ecopetrol operates as a key integrated energy firm on the American continent. In Colombia, it is responsible for more than 60% of hydrocarbon production and manages the majority of the nation’s transportation, logistics, and hydrocarbon refining systems. Through its 51.4% stake in ISA, the company holds positions in energy transmission across Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia, as well as road concessions in Chile, and participates in real-time systems management through XM and the Barranquilla – Cartagena coastal highway concession. Internationally, Ecopetrol has drilling and exploration operations in oilfields across the US (Permian basin and the Gulf of Mexico), Brazil, and Mexico.

The companies are owned by Statkraft’s subsidiaries: Enerfín Sociedad de Energía S.L.U and Enerfin Enervento Exterior S.L. The portfolio’s projects are located in the departments of La Guajira, Sucre, Córdoba, Caldas, and Magdalena.

If completed, this acquisition would represent significant progress toward Ecopetrol S.A.’s decarbonization and energy transition goals, particularly the target of incorporating 900 MW of renewable self-generation capacity by 2025, in line with its 2040 Strategy. Additionally, the transaction would support the generation of low-emission energy under competitive conditions for the Ecopetrol Group’s self-consumption, reducing exposure to spot market purchases and contributing to the diversification of the company’s energy matrix.

Photo credit: Ecopetrol/Flickr.

“Sustainable tourism is a powerful tool for transformation in the territories, generating opportunities and conditions for peace. For this reason, Switzerland supports this chain in Colombia, a country with extraordinary natural and cultural wealth,” said the Swiss ambassador, Eric Mayoraz.

The program impacts 13 destinations in the departments of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, Atlántico, Magdalena, La Guajira, Sucre, Cundinamarca, Quindío, Casanare, Antioquia, Huila, Putumayo, Meta, Boyacá, Guaviare and Caquetá, promoting the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector. To date, the achievements have been significant: more than 1,000 jobs generated and retained in four key destinations (Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, and Quindío), 357 companies with an 81% increase in revenues, and a 400% increase in tourist spending in these territories.

In environmental management, 80 companies have adopted good practices, and 55 people have been trained in methodologies for competitive and sustainable destinations, consolidating an innovative model of cooperation and development. “Swisscontact strengthens tourism in Colombia with a market approach, ensuring that destinations develop an offer aligned with demand and access tools and knowledge that position them as benchmarks in sustainability and competitiveness,” said Claudia Sepúlveda, general coordinator of the Colombia Más Competitiva program.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism, in 2024, Colombia received approximately 6.7 million tourists, 8.5% more than the previous year. A growing percentage of these visitors are looking for ecotourism and responsible tourism experiences, which represents a unique opportunity to strengthen the competitiveness of destinations and incorporate sustainability criteria.

“Tourism in Colombia not only depends on its natural wealth, but also on its ability to generate value in the markets. We are promoting the necessary conditions for regions to transform their potential into real opportunities for growth and international projection,” concluded Enrique Maruri, director of Swisscontact Colombia.
Swisscontact at ANATO 2025: sharing experiences and learnings.

In the ANATO 2025 Tourism Showcase, the Colombia Más Competitiva program will present its main learnings together with local partners, who will share the impact of Swiss cooperation in their territories. One of the most relevant milestones is the strengthening of the Network of Destination Managers, whose official presentation will take place in April.

As part of ANATO’s academic program, Swisscontact, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Santa Marta and Magdalena, organized the panel “Territorial perspectives in the competitive management of sustainable tourism” at the stand of Magdalena, a special guest destination in 2025. Entrepreneurs and members of the Network of Managers will discuss governance, sustainability, and product development.

Swisscontact’s destination management methodology has articulated the private sector around the creation and marketing of highly competitive tourism experiences. As a result, nature and culture products have been developed, such as the Safari Llanero in Casanare, Macondo Natural in Magdalena, and San Agustín Enigmático in Huila, among others. In addition, entrepreneurs and managers have received support to implement strategies aligned with the standards of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

This impact has been possible thanks to public-private articulation at the local, regional, and national levels. Swisscontact has promoted the creation of networks, cluster strategies, and territorial governance models, making progress in destinations such as La Guajira, Quindío, Choachí-Ubaque in Cundinamarca and Atlántico. In addition, it will facilitate an exchange between representatives of the 13 destinations of the Network of Managers to identify trends and improve the marketing of tourism products.

According to Enrique Maruri, director of Swisscontact Colombia, “Nature tourism is one of the great bets of Swiss cooperation in Colombia, and we believe in its potential to promote sustainable development. At Swisscontact, we continue to work on the structuring of collective management models that strengthen tourism products and services, always in partnership with the private sector. Our goal is to consolidate ourselves as a benchmark in consulting for the competitiveness and sustainability of tourism in the country.”

For Swisscontact, it is also key to continue strengthening responsible tourism through innovative methodologies and strategic alliances with actors such as the GSTC, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MinCIT), the National Tourism Fund (FONTUR), the Colombian Association of Responsible Tourism (ACOTUR) and Chambers of Commerce throughout the country, said Enrique.

Photo credit: ANATO.

The rationing will primarily affect Colombia’s Caribbean region, encompassing departments such as Bolívar, Magdalena, La Guajira, Cesar, Córdoba, Sucre, San Andrés, and Atlántico. This recently planned restriction will mostly impact industrial sectors, with thermal power plants in the Caribbean facing significant reductions in gas availability. Residential and small commercial consumers are expected to remain unaffected in the short term, according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

The planned maintenance of the Spec LNG regasification plant in Cartagena—a critical facility for liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing—directly influences the gas rationing decision. Maintenance is typically conducted annually and is mandated under Decree 1073 of 2015. However, this year’s maintenance is notable due to the decreased gas reserves and high demand.

Gas Supply Shortfall and Import Strategy

The Colombian Natural Gas Association (Naturgas), represented by its president Luz Stella Murgas, has emphasized the urgency of sourcing gas imports from neighboring countries to counter declining internal reserves. According to Murgas, increasing gas imports is the only viable option to avoid mid- to long-term shortages. Colombia’s domestic reserves have seen accelerated depletion, raising alarms within the industry and highlighting a critical need for regulatory adjustments.

Colombia’s reliance on hydroelectric power sources—which account for approximately 70% of national electricity—compounds the situation. Reservoir levels dropped significantly due to the El Niño phenomenon, which concluded in April 2024. Although reservoirs have since begun recovering, their current levels remain below optimal. As of October 20, Ecopetrol reported reservoir levels at 53.64% capacity, a figure that remains insufficient as the country anticipates a dry season with lower-than-average rainfall beginning in December.

The increased reliance on thermal power plants to compensate for lower hydroelectric output has put additional strain on natural gas supplies. The Ministry of Mines and Energy indicated that imported gas volumes have been insufficient to meet this demand surge, leading to the current shortage. In response, the ministry has proposed regulatory “enablers” to facilitate gas imports, a policy adjustment aimed at stabilizing market conditions, according to Minister Andrés Camacho.

Rationing Details and Implications for the Industrial Sector

The rationing strategy includes staged reductions in gas supply to major industrial consumers over the four-day period, with planned volumes of:

• October 31 – November 1: 84.6 million cubic feet
• November 2: 75.7 million cubic feet
• November 3: 60.3 million cubic feet
• November 4: 72.4 million cubic feet

These allocations are part of a broader inventory management approach aimed at maintaining energy system balance. However, experts have raised concerns that these volumes may fall short of meeting the region’s rising industrial demand, especially in the Caribbean.

Broader Energy Policy and Economic Impact

The rationing decision highlights the complex intersection of Colombia’s energy policies, supply dynamics, and environmental factors. The Caribbean region’s high concentration of energy-intensive industries is expected to feel the brunt of the rationing’s indirect effects on electricity stability. While this measure remains temporary, the government’s exploration moratorium and current reserve limitations suggest a challenging outlook for Colombia’s energy sector.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy’s gas rationing strategy illustrates the critical need for policy adaptations to mitigate shortfalls and ensure energy security in the face of fluctuating internal resources and environmental variables. As the situation evolves, the government will face mounting pressure from industrial stakeholders and the public to develop more resilient energy policies.

The acquisition allowed OCENSA to invest its excess cash in an asset that Fitch expects to generate stable, permanent dividend cash flows for the company. RDC holds a 7.14% equity stake in Oleoducto de Colombia S.A. (ODC), a privately owned pipeline that has been operating for 35 years. The pipeline transports crude oil between the Vasconia Station in the municipality of Puerto Boyacá and the Coveñas maritime terminal in the municipalities of Coveñas (Sucre) and San Antero (Córdoba).

Fitch views ODC as financially stable. It generates low-risk dividends due to its strategic location for crude oil evacuation in Colombia. Fitch also expects the investment in ODC to generate significantly more revenue for OCENSA than it would from interest on its unused cash. The acquisition improves OCENSA’s business profile and enhances its existing revenue-based model. The fee-based structure, combined with fixed-price arrangements in ship-and-pay contracts, protects the company from direct exposure to commodity prices.

OCENSA has a strong liquidity and debt profile over the rating horizon. As of March 31, 2024, its only debt was USD400 million, with EBITDA leverage of 0.3x. Available cash at the end of Q12024 was USD330 million. The company has no major capex plans other than maintenance.

OCENSA’s ratings primarily reflect its linkage with Ecopetrol S.A. (BB+/Stable), which indirectly owns 72.65% of OCENSA. Ecopetrol is the largest crude oil producer in Columbia, and OCENSA’s operations are an integral part of its core business as its main off-taker. Fitch considers OCENSA strategically important for Ecopetrol, as the company heavily relies on OCENSA’s infrastructure to transport crude oil from production fields to its refineries and export terminal. Approximately 84% of the total crude oil transported in 2023 was for Ecopetrol.

The report by Fundación Ideas Para la Paz, published August 22, explains that Colombia’s main criminal groups have expanded their territorial control, enhanced their power of recruitment, and diversified their income. All of this has increased the number of clashes between them and generated a worrying humanitarian climate, found the report.

This article, written by Yago Rosado, was originally published by Insight Crime, a Medellín-based foundation dedicated to the investigation and analysis of crime and security in Colombia and Latin America.

Below, InSight Crime analyzes three findings from the report to assess the evolution of Colombia’s criminal landscape one year after Petro’s Total Peace announcement.

Violence Against the State Falls While Inter-Group Disputes Increase

During its first year, the Petro government has overseen a significant reduction in confrontations between state security forces and armed groups such as the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN), the ex-FARC mafia, and the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC).

Between July 2022 and August 2023, there were fewer than 100 clashes, while in 2021 there were more than 170. According to the report, these groups no longer confront the state “because they have no pretensions or capacity to affect its stability or the seizure of power at the national level.”

But not everything is positive. The report’s data show that disputes between the country’s main armed groups have increased as they look to maintain and expand their territorial control. Clashes between armed groups have grown by 85% during Petro’s first year in office, making it the highest figure in the last decade.

During this period, the ex-FARC mafia, ELN, and AGC have reinforced their ranks. Their combined total membership is now 7,620, according to the report. They are also supported by a network of at least 7,512 people, exceeding the figures reported in previous years, which averaged 6,000.

Armed Groups Continue Killing

Although homicides have decreased by 1.5% in comparison to the last year under former president, Iván Duque (2018-2022), violence has continued unabated in the departments where armed groups have a strong presence.

The island of San Andrés and the departments of Sucre and Vaupes, where the AGC and the ex-FARC mafia have operations, have seen homicides increase by 72%, 59%, and 50% respectively. Bolivar and Putumayo also saw increases of between 10% and 20%.

At the national level, kidnapping have risen by 77% and extortion by almost 15%. In both cases, these are the highest figures in the last decade and contrast starkly against the goals of Total Peace, which has so far failed to establish ceasefire agreements with ex-FARC mafia factions or the AGC. In fact, the government broke off talks with the latter group earlier this year.

The report’s data also shows the populations in rural areas are suffering higher rates of threats, extortion, and forced displacement.

Peace Talks Not Impeding Criminal Armed Groups

Talks to demobilize the multiple criminal groups active in Colombia are stalling.

The report indicates that, after initial momentum in 2022 when many armed groups announced their intentions to talk with the Petro administration, negotiations are progressing intermittently and slowly.

Though not straightforward, negotiations with the ELN are the most advanced. The bilateral ceasefire between the ELN and the Colombian state, and the involvement of the National Participation Committee (Comité de Participación Nacional – CNP), have provided a solid foundation for future progress.

No other negotiations with armed groups have gotten this far. In fact, the negotiation processes with groups such as the AGC, the Pachenca, and a myriad of urban groups, are stalled due to the lack of a clear legal framework in which the two groups can discuss and plan.

Meanwhile, in the case of the ex-FARC mafia, talks are taking place while the group disputes different territories, such as the Colombian Pacific, where they are fighting over drug trafficking routes to international markets.

This article, written by Yago Rosado, was originally published by Insight Crime, a Medellín-based foundation dedicated to the investigation and analysis of crime and security in Colombia and Latin America. It has been generously shared with Finance Colombia under a Creative Commons license.

Between December 19 and January 18, 2023, more than 1.3 million policies have already been issued, with the greatest response is in the motorcycle segment, with 765,816 policies issued (104% growth).

“We see with satisfaction that citizens have responded positively to the measure of the national government and insurance companies have accompanied its implementation. 2022 closed with 9.4 million vehicle owners with life-saving insurance, 348,150 more than at the end of 2021,” said David Colmenares, president of the Fasecolda Board of Directors.

SOAT policy issuance for motorcycles went from 375,554 policies in the period from 12/19/2021 to 01/18/22 up to 765,816 policies sold in November, before the price reduction measure took effect.

Colombia’s Caribbean region, including the departments of Atlántico, Córdoba, Bolívar, César, Magdalena, Sucre, and Guajira, registered a 40% growth in policy issuance.

All registered vehicles using Colombian roads must carry this liability insurance coverage that pays for physical harm or death due to vehicular accidents in the country. SOAT covers drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, and is underwritten by private insurance companies.

“On the road we are all protagonists, therefore, from the insurance industry, we call on citizens to have good behavior on the roads and continue to comply with the obligation to acquire the SOAT to be protected,” admonished Colmenares.

Image courtesy Fasecolda

The purpose of the agreement signed between the two universities is to promote research projects with social impact in the Caribbean Region. Likewise, the schools have committed to join forces to develop agrotech—agricultural technology initiatives that will benefit populations such as La Mojana, a territory that includes municipalities in the Colombian departments of Antioquia, Bolívar, Córdoba and Sucre.

Harrisburg University already has a campus in Panama City, Panamá.

“For Harrisburg University it is great news to announce that we will bring all our knowledge in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) areas to the community of the Colombian Caribbean Region, promoting its development and bringing progress with allies such as the University of Cartagena,” said Kevin Huggins (above right), Rector of Harrisburg University in Latin America.

The event, which took place on the campus of the University of Cartagena, was attended by Vice Chancellor for International Relations and Cooperation Josefina Quintero (above, left), and Willian Malkún Castillejo, a representative of the University of Cartagena’s rector.

“Alliances like these arise with the firm intention of helping to solve community problems with the help of academia, through innovation, science and technology projects that contribute to the improvement of people’s quality of life,” said Quintero.

Photos courtesy University of Harrisburg