Productivity and Competitiveness Improvement Policy

The overview of Colombian mining has two main components: the first is characterized by formal and large scale mining activities. The second corresponds to mining activities carried out on a smaller scale in a traditional and artisanal manner, with a known lack of adequate technology and often defined by its informality and subsistence character, which makes it insecure, unprofitable, uncompetitive and environmentally unsustainable.

During the last decade, Colombian mining activities have recorded an important growth in production volume and value, thus their contribution to the total economic growth of the Colombian economy has been significant.

In this sense, now that the Colombian State has stopped being a mining investor and has wanted to promote a mining development policy based on the work of the private sector, by facilitating and supervising the development of mining projects, it is indispensable to advance towards these goals, which requires a guiding strategic approach that will ensure the long-term contribution of the mining industry to national and regional sustainable development, promoting the economic and social strengthening of the country.

Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive and indicative mining policy, consistent with the guidelines of the National Mining Development Plan and, as a result of the same, designing a general program that will guide the transit and movement of what has been known as informal mining activities towards forms of production where entrepreneurial development will allow them to be more competitive, more profitable and less harmful to the environmental and social surroundings, thus becoming more sustainable.

For this purpose, the paradigm of the lack of entrepreneurial development in national mining must be broken, through the formation and management training of its leading members, understanding that the lack of preparation and training will not allow them to experience solid and permanent entrepreneurial growth.