President Sheinbaum celebrated on Sunday the launch of the First Economic Development Hub for Well-Being (Podecobi) in Huamantla, in the central state of Tlaxcala, with a US $540 million investment. 

The investment-attracting project falls within the administration’s flagship Plan México initiative and will be developed across 53 hectares of land. It is expected to create over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. Funding will come from public and private sources.

“Mexico imports many products, and many of those products could be produced in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said. “That’s why we have the ‘Made in Mexico’ brand. The goal is to generate more national and foreign investment in Mexico that will allow us to achieve greater development.”

Last June, Sheinbaum signed agreements with 14 governors to establish the first 15 Podecobis across the country, eight of which will be situated in Mexico’s south-southeast region. This inaugural hub in Tlaxcala is not far from Mexico City.

Tlaxcala Governor Lorena Cuéllar Cisneros stressed that business confidence continues to grow in her state, which she credits largely to government support.

Upon the launch of the first Podecobi, Sheinbaum emphasized the importance of shared prosperity, echoing the Morena catchphrase “for the good of all, the poor come first.”

“What we want is for… public resources to be invested in the people,” said Sheinbaum.  

Sheinbaum plans for the Podecobis to be sited in urban areas that already have basic services, such as housing for workers, schools, water and transportation, making them more attractive to investors for further development, benefiting more people.  

The government will provide the Podecobis with economic incentives and waive certain taxes during the initial years of operation to help accelerate investment. 

At least seven companies have already committed to establishing operations in the first Podecobi, according to Alejandro Espinosa de los Monteros, the general manager of the Xicohténcatl Industrial City Trust (Fidecix) in Tlaxcala. He added that the infrastructure needed for companies to begin operations immediately has already been developed. 

Jaime Adolfo Juan Martínez, the director of Neuse México, believes that the arrival of international companies in Tlaxcala will help strengthen the local economy, promote specialized training and facilitate knowledge transfer, thereby enhancing the state’s competitiveness. 

With reports from La Jornada