The president-elect will prioritize strategic legislation and promote “capitalism for all” to restore confidence and spur growth.
“A New Chapter in the Economic Opening of Bolivia”
President-elect Rodrigo Paz opened the Visión Bolivia 2025 business summit by announcing that the country will begin a new stage of economic opening, under a framework of legal certainty and respect for private property. In a speech full of optimism and conciliation, Paz said that Bolivia will be able to start a new relationship with the private sector and the international community based on trust, transparency, and institutional stability.
The president-elect indicated that Bolivia closes a stage of history in which the entry of foreign capital and the development of businesses were limited, in reference to the regulatory uncertainty and economic centralism experienced in recent years. “We are starting a new era of development in which the State will not be an obstacle but an ally of entrepreneurs, investors, and workers,” said Paz before more than 2,000 entrepreneurs, ambassadors, and international delegations who met in La Paz to learn about the new opportunities offered by Bolivia’s productive sectors.
Focus on Strategic Laws to Boost Investment and Stability
The president-elect explained that his new government will work on the approval of strategic laws in strategic areas such as mining, hydrocarbons, evaporitic resources (lithium, among others), investment, infrastructure, and technology. These regulations will simplify procedures, update existing regulations, and issue “effective guarantees” for national and foreign companies that want to invest in Bolivia. In this sense, Paz assured that economic stability and legal predictability will be the main pillars of his new administration, two indispensable elements to attract long-term investment.
“To those who have come to visit us from other latitudes, this is Bolivia for the world, but today the message is the world in Bolivia. Welcome; this is your house, you can invest with confidence,” he said to applause. He added that this new stage will also require an effective public administration, responsible management, and the participation of productive sectors in the formulation of economic policy.
Capitalism for All: A Proposal for Growth and Social Justice
The president-elect reiterated his commitment to his government model of “capitalism for all,” a concept that he has taken up to redefine the relationship between the State, businesses, and citizens. This proposal seeks to combine the promotion of free-market principles with social responsibility and the strengthening of the pillars of public services. “True progress does not consist only in generating wealth, but in generating opportunities for all Bolivians,” he stated.
Paz detailed that his government will promote a competitive business environment with incentives for innovation, renewable energy, and the formalization of small and medium-sized enterprises. He said that foreign investment will have the institutional support of the government, contracts that will be respected by law, and “legal guarantees at all times.” “We want national and international entrepreneurs to feel that they can invest in Bolivia without fear of arbitrary changes or expropriations. Trust will be our most valuable currency,” he affirmed.
Bolivian Economic Opening and Foreign Investment
The president-elect also indicated that in recent years, Bolivia has received lower foreign investment than other countries in the region, such as Chile, Peru, or Colombia, which has constrained industrial development and modern infrastructure. “Now is the time to ensure investments that create jobs, dignity, and economic growth, under clear rules and without privileges,” he added.
With respect to international cooperation, Rodrigo Paz specified that his foreign policy will be based on building strategic and commercial alliances rather than on dependence on aid. “Bolivia will not ask for aid; Bolivia will offer projects. We want partners, not donors,” he said. In this regard, he also announced that talks have already begun with other governments in South America, Europe, and Asia, as well as with multilateral organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) or the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) to promote joint projects in areas such as energy, transportation, digitalization, and environmental sustainability.
Productive Diversification, the Engine of Bolivian Economic Opening
Another of the axes of Paz’s economic plan is productive diversification. His government aims to reduce dependence on natural resources and promote new sectors with high value added, such as sustainable agribusiness, ecological tourism, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. To this end, the government will create special economic zones, technological parks, and mixed financing mechanisms that incentivize private investment in innovation.
Paz also highlighted the need to improve logistical and energy infrastructure in the country, a factor that will be key in attracting foreign investment. In this way, he mentioned priority projects such as the paving of trunk highways, the expansion of bioceanic corridors, the digitalization of customs procedures, and the transition to clean energy. All this, he explained, will not only be designed to increase the competitiveness of the country but also to ensure a balanced development among Bolivia’s regions.
Transparency and Efficiency to Strengthen the Bolivian Economic Opening
In his speech, Paz was also emphatic in indicating that corruption will not be tolerated under his government. He added that his administration will implement stricter controls in the public administration, perform permanent audits, and impose exemplary sanctions on any official found guilty of irregularities. “Transparency will be a requirement, not an option. Investment is built on trust, and trust is built on honesty,” he declared.
Finally, the president-elect also assured that the logistics and distribution of strategic inputs, especially fuels, will be guaranteed under an efficient and decentralized model that will avoid losses due to inefficiency or corruption. “There can be no development if the energy basis of the nation is not guaranteed. That is why we will give legal and logistical protection to the distribution chain and ensure that every liter of fuel that leaves the refinery arrives at its final destination without suffering any type of diversion or abuse,” he concluded.
With this speech, Rodrigo Paz sent a clear message to the business community and international investors: Bolivia reopens to the world with legal certainty, political stability, and a renewed vision of economic development. His proposal of “capitalism for all” seeks to reconcile the search for growth with social equity, and to mark the beginning of a new stage that could redefine Bolivia’s place in the regional economy. This new stage of Bolivian economic opening symbolizes a historic opportunity to rebuild confidence and project the country as a destination for sustainable and responsible investment.