Entrepreneurship and youth: a commitment to development

The Ibero-American Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan attended the opening of the Ibero-American Entrepreneurial Conference, prior to the 25th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government

28 October 2016
Fundación Microfinanzas BBVA

“We’re not making the most of our young people: 25% of young Latin-Americans neither study nor work. We need to find new drivers and increase productivity. The region has to be prepared for an economy where knowledge will be the most valuable asset”. These were the words of Rebeca Grynspan, the Ibero-American General Secretary, at the opening of the Ibero-American Entrepreneurial Conference prior to the 25th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government held for the second time in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) with the theme Youth, Entrepreneurship and Education for Development.

Delegations from the 22 countries in the Ibero-American conference, representatives of international bodies, major corporations (such as BBVA and Telefónica), political leaders and experts are all taking part in the summit, the most important public-private event in Ibero-America. They all set forth their recommendations from the business standpoint before the heads of state: entrepreneurship as a driver of growth, the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the future of enterprise, the promotion of trade and investment in Ibero-America, and education as a cornerstone of development and employment for young people.

Rebeca Grynspan inauguracion-oficial-encuentro-iberoamericano-

Rebeca Grynspan during her opening speech

“We need to recover our optimism and hope –but in a realistic way–, and to achieve greater participation in the public debate, accelerate economic growth through increased investment in infrastructure, education and health, and through public institutions and greater innovation”, said Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the IDB, who is attending the event.

According to Bruce Mac Master, president of the National Business Association of Colombia: “One of the challenges facing the country is the fight for inclusion by reducing poverty and making advances in healthcare coverage and education to ensure that sectors excluded by conflict can be reintegrated in the economy and society”.

This opinion is shared by the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, which is present at this event through its representative Laura Fernández Lord, who is responsible for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: “Entrepreneurship is an effective way forward for millions of people without employment opportunities, and is increasingly becoming a driver for Latin American economies and a source of employment and development. In fact, when we ask the entrepreneurs served by the Foundation about their motivation for making their businesses grow and for saving, the most frequent answer is that they want their children to study at university and become professionals. This is the way they can break the vicious circle of poverty, by becoming transformative agents that are key to sustainable and inclusive long-term development in their countries and societies”.