Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) CEO Zhongjing Wang and staff and senior Argentina officials explored connectivity partnership opportunities between the country and MCDF during bilateral meetings in Buenos Aires on 27-28 April.
CEO Wang, accompanied by two of his Senior Advisors, Mr. Juan Miranda and Mr. Ayumi Konishi, met with the Undersecretary of International Financial Relations at the Ministry of Economy, Mr. Matias Mana; his successor from 1 May, Mr. Martin Tolivia; the ministry’s senior sector experts for electric energy, and mining value chain and infrastructure; and officials from the provinces of Chaco and Cordoba.
CEO Wang thanked the officials for Argentina’s participation in the first meeting on MCDF’s first replenishment of the MCDF Finance Facility in Beijing on 30 March, which pooled strategic ideas for MCDF’s next phase, starting in January 2027, to further enhance its support for high-quality connectivity infrastructure in developing countries through partnerships.
Undersecretary Mana described Argentina’s large pipeline of infrastructure projects that are waiting to be developed and financed. Mr. Tolivia said the country is accelerating its reforms and investments and that the Ministry of Economy serves as a “bridge” or “facilitator” given that infrastructure investment is typically led at the provincial level. He expressed his strong hope that MCDF grant and information-sharing support could boost connectivity development in Argentina, helping to address shortages of funds for feasibility studies and capacity gaps in the provinces to plan and implement projects.
Undersecretary of Electric Energy, Mr. Damián Sanfilippo, and Energy Advisor, Mr. Francisco Azumendi, discussed Argentina’s current efforts to improve transparency, efficiency, and competitiveness in the energy sector, including tariff reform to encourage greater private sector investment in the sector, in collaboration with International Financial Institutions.
National Director for Mining Value Chain and Infrastructure, Mr. Fernando Ciacera, described the mining sector’s development in Argentina. He explained how global demand for lithium and copper are supporting Argentina’s rapid economic growth, but that substantial investment is still needed to realize its mining potential, particularly in infrastructure for exporting minerals.
CEO Wang and his team also met Mr. Guillermo Aguero, National Deputy of Chaco Province and former Secretary of Economic Coordination, Mr. Guillermo Acosta, Minister of Economy and Public Management of Cordoba Province, and Ms. Victoria Massa, Cordoba Province’s Finance Secretary. They shared their respective provinces’ connectivity infrastructure investment needs and challenges, including the need to build project design and implementation capacity.
CEO Wang expressed his appreciation for the Argentina officials’ insights, noting that this information will better position MCDF to respond to the country’s connectivity infrastructure development imperatives. “This visit to Argentina reaffirms the importance of directly listening to the needs of the development officials and partners on the ground,” said CEO Wang.
“As MCDF prepares for its next strategic period, MCDF will introduce mechanisms to more closely engage with countries such as Argentina at the early stage of connectivity infrastructure planning to promote the viability, delivery, and success of projects.”
Contact
David Hendrickson
Senior Communications Officer
Mobile: +86 185 0114 6758
david.hendrickson@themcdf.org
