The State of Santander, located in northeastern Colombia, has been a pioneer in regional development and competitiveness initiatives. It was the first region in the country to establish a Regional Competitiveness Council. Our work involved evaluating the region’s competitiveness positioning, identifying and mapping its main clusters, formulating an action plan to enhance the overall business environment, and developing the institutional and governance frameworks for the council’s operation. The success of this model led other Colombian states to create their own councils. Eventually, the national government adopted a National Competitiveness Policy to ensure that every state in Colombia established a Regional Competitiveness Council.
