Doha, Qatar – Friday, April 20 th, 2012. PRONicaraguas Background Who We Are PRONicaragua is the Official Nicaraguan Investment Promotion Agency. The.

Doha, Qatar – Friday, April 20th, 2012

PRONicaragua’s Background

Who We Are

• PRONicaragua is the Official Nicaraguan Investment Promotion Agency.

• The agency was created in 2002. It is a public-private, non-profit institution, that is ascribed to the Presidency, with the mission to contribute to the country’s economic development.

• Administered as a UNDP program.

Organizational Structure

• Market Intelligence & Communication, Investment Promotion and Aftercare Service, plus back office.

• Multilingual, internationally trained, locally experienced professionals

• Staff of 27 people / 30 year old average.

PRONicaragua’s Services

What We Offer Investors

• General information on regulations, legal framework, business opportunities and key investment information.

• Facilitation Services advising companies in their assessment by providing and helping analyze tailor-made information specific to their operations needs.

• Organization of customized site visits to learn about reality on the ground and meet key both public and private sector contacts.

• Introductions to local companies for possible joint ventures and identification of suppliers and other forms of business alliances.

• Assistance with identifying the ideal real estate options specific to the projects needs.

• Aftercare Services to support companies throughout the entire setup process and the operational phase. Also identifying main problems affecting investors to improve the business environment.

Why Investor Facilitation is Important

• Investment facilitation has allowed PRONicaragua to influence the natural flow of FDI into the country by being involved in a company’s decision process.

• It allows Nicaragua to more effectively compete with other locations by providing information that is critical in the decision process and that may not be acquired easily by investors.

• Sheds a light on what are the critical issues investors evaluate in a given location, allowing PRONicaragua to work on improving them.

Investment facilitation is important because it may well be

the most effective opportunity a country has at positively influencing an investor.

What do investors need?

1. Quality informationIn order to make the final decision of selecting a location, investors require quality information that is timely, reliable and up to date.

2. Effective assistanceInvestors need the agency’s support in setting up meetings, visiting potential sites, identifying local partners and getting a real sense of the investment climate in the country.

3. Fulfillment of the promiseOnce we have convinced a company that Nicaragua is the ideal place to invest, we must deliver and stand by that promise, providing aftercare services and working on improving the business climate.

Recognition for best investment promotion practices.World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA). IPA Performance Review 2006 (MIGA)

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009

Ranked 11th best national IPA in the world and 2nd best in Latin AmericaGlobal Investment Promotion Benchmarking 2009 (GIPB).

PRONicaragua ranks among the top 15% of evaluated agencies. IPA Performance Benchmarking 2005 MIGA

PRONicaragua’s performance has been subject to evaluations carried out by IDI Ireland (2005), MIGA (2004 and 2005), UNDP (2006) and the World Bank– FIAS (2009). These organizations have not only assessed PRONicaragua’s results since its creation, but have also provided significant contributions toward the Agency’s growth, presenting a series of suggestions and recommendations to further improve its performance.

PRONicaragua Evaluations

Continuous Improvement Plan

Motivated by the results of the 2009 GIPB, PRONicaragua decided to develop a work plan aimed at ensuring that the agency continued offering top-quality services:

• We set our goal: to achieve a Top 5 ranking in GIPB 2010.

• Carried out assessment of A. of O.: Using GIPB and internal process identified overall areas of opportunity and improved Inquiry Handling and Website procedures, amongst other issues.

• Defined M&E policies: created internal mystery investor methodology and practiced periodic evaluations.

What have we accomplished?

In GIPB 2012 only agency in the World to score Best Practice in every evaluation!

Projected Investment vs. Executed Budget

2003 - 2011

Projected Investment $831,321,842.00 Projected Employment 54,334.00 Executed Budget $8,116,356.87

Return on Investment $102.43 Cost of Employement Opportunity $149.38

For every dollar invested in the Agency, Nicaragua has received US$102.43 in projected investment.

• Agency’s direct results represent 15% fo the country’s FDI inflows approximately.

• Country’s return on investment for every dollar spent at the Agency is US$102 .43 and the cost per job created through the IPA is US$149.38.

Our message to other IPIs

• Understanding the investor mindset will allow an IPI make sure its efforts are effectively oriented towards investment attraction.

• An IPI that is well-structured, has clear strategy, a talented team and public-private support can have a deep impact in a country’s FDI attraction.

• Investment attraction goes beyond promotional efforts, it includes working to improve the investment climate, creating strategic alliances with national and international institutions, and following up on the development of investment projects.

• Top of mind is invaluable. In order to be known, we must communicate as much relevant country facts as possible.

“A nation’s wealth is no longer the determinant of excellence in investment promotion. Many middle income countries such as Nicaragua, Lithuania, Turkey, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Botswana, and Croatia have performed very well, often on very tight budgets.” Global Investment Promotion Benchmarking 2009

What defines us?• Believing firmly in our country’s potential• Being passionate about the work we do• Being overly creative in how we do it• Never accepting that something is impossible

Creativity + Capability + Commitment