CABEI mission visits Argentina to oversee initiatives supported and executed in four provinces

Buenos Aires, May 13th, 2022.- In order to learn about the status of the programs and projects being executed with the financial and technical support of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) in Argentina, a mission from the multilateral visited the works being carried out in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Mendoza and Santa Fe.

CABEI Executive President, Dr. Dante Mossi, stated, "Through the steady and constant progress of these works, CABEI reaffirms its commitment to Argentina to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants. We are pleased to know that, through the articulation and joint work between the Bank and the authorities, we will generate a positive impact on the nation."

Dr. Maximiliano Alonso, CABEI Director for Argentina and Colombia, added, "The projects visited range from infrastructure and equipment for border health units and isolation centers to the promotion and support of technological development and science. The diversity of projects in the country is as wide as its potential, which is why we continue to support national development.

CABEI delegates visited the Health Assistance Center (CAS) installed at the N°23 Penitentiary Unit in Florencio Varela, in the Province of Buenos Aires, and the Health Unit installed at the Cristo Redentor border crossing between Argentina and Chile, in the Province of Mendoza. Both facilities are part of the Health Infrastructure Strengthening Program for Penitentiary Units and Border Health Units, for which CABEI granted a US$50 million loan to the national government.

On the other hand, within the framework of the Program to Support the Strategy to Expand Coverage and Access to Health, the delegation visited the facilities of two vaccine storage centers, one located in the City of Santa Fe (Santa Fe) and the other in Paraná (Entre Ríos). The project includes the construction and equipping of 6 provincial vaccine warehouses, the improvement and equipping of ten regional warehouses in the Province of Buenos Aires and the construction of 12 sustainable vaccinatories in rural areas. For the construction of these, the institution granted a US$32 million loan to the National Government.

The delegation also supervised progress in the execution of the Program for Strengthening Protection Actions against Gender-Based Violence, financed by CABEI with US$50 million, and visited the site where the first Territorial Center will be built in the city of Morón, in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area.

The work agenda also included a visit to the Metallurgical Technology Center (CETEM) of Florencio Varela, in the Province of Buenos Aires, as it will be part of the Pilot Program for the Digital Transformation of Argentine SMEs. This program has US$50 million in financing for investments in technological infrastructure and training, with a view to a 4.0 production model.

Finally, the team visited the offices of the I+D+i Agency within the orbit of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Argentina where they held a working meeting in which they jointly reviewed the progress in the execution of the Program and defined the steps to be taken to continue supporting scientific research in various fields and applied technology.

The delegation took advantage of the visit to hold working meetings with the executing agencies of five of the eight initiatives supported by CABEI in the country for a total of US$379 million.