Medellín, 13 April 2023. The European Union, Fundación del Valle and Interactuar presented Component 1 of the AL-INVEST Verde programme in Antioquia, Colombia. The programme will be implemented in various regions of the country, benefiting more than 2,500 entrepreneurs and MSMEs through green economy projects. 

"With this initiative, we want to support the processes of energy transition, job creation, increased turnover, adoption of sustainable production practices and development of rural women entrepreneurs in small and medium-sized beneficiary enterprises. Through these mechanisms we seek, among other objectives, to improve the energy efficiency of the impacted companies, generating an estimated potential saving of 40%", said the Ambassador of the European Union, Gilles Bertrand, who also highlighted the importance of this programme and welcomed the alliance between Fundación del Valle in consortium with Interactuar and ACTEC for its implementation in Antioquia. 

Harold Tavera, Interactuar's lead for advancement and implementation, explained: "We are very excited about this.Interactuar's goal is to support 425 agro-entrepreneurs in Antioquia, belonging to the livestock, coffee and cocoa value chains, who develop leadership skills, management towards sustainability, profitability, generation of formal employment and environmental protection.", added. 

Finally, the Chambers of Commerce of Bogotá, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, and the National Association of Foreign Trade (Analdex), will work in the departments of Atlántico, Magdalena, César, Cundinamarca, Santander, La Guajira, Bolívar, Valle del Cauca, the Archipelago of San Andrés Providencia and Santa Catalina, the Eje Cafetero region and Bogotá.

About AL-INVEST Verde

AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 1, the programme manages funds for the implementation of innovative projects of small business associations to promote sustainable practices in the private sector. Component 1 is led by sequaThe German non-profit organisation, which operates worldwide with the aim of promoting the private sector.