‘All investment comes through Toronto’: Colombia mining minister

MINING.com sat down with Amylkar Acosta, Colombia’s mining minister, who discussed investment opportunities and risks.

Acosta was attending the PDAC International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange in Toronto last month.

Asked why he came to the show to tout Colombia, he says “all investment comes through Toronto.”

“Colombia is the Latin American country with the most promising future,” says Acosta.

While Colombia is well known for its coal and oil resources, Acosta added that it’s also a leader in energy and power generation.

Quoting a recent report from the World Economic Forum, the minister explains that Colombia is considered one of the top 10 countries best prepared for the future of energy.

While recent incidents such as rebel attacks to the country’s main coal miner and the kidnapping of a Canadian mining executive  raise safety concerns in Colombia, Acosta says the country is still one of the world’s top mining destinations.

Investment has climbed 17% since 2012 outpacing Latin America as a whole.

(Interview is in Spanish aided by a translator. Audio quality is poor due to excessive background noise. Interview was conducted by Michael McCrae.)