Barrancabermeja, a town in the heart of Colombia, is home to the country’s largest oil refinery. In June 2007, we joined a group of visionary leaders who came together to drive the development of the oil and gas cluster, in collaboration with Universidad de los Andes, the Barrancabermeja Chamber of Commerce, the Bucaramanga Chamber of Commerce, and Ecopetrol S.A. – Colombia’s National Oil Company. Our mission was to assess the region’s competitiveness and the business environment surrounding oil and gas activities, establish a robust institutional and governance framework for the cluster initiative, and identify priority actions for implementation. This effort was not solely about economic growth, it was about creating lasting, transformative impact in the lives of people in Barrancabermeja and the surrounding areas.
