Monsú in Colombia is a ground-breaking commercial project, tailor-made for companies aiming to connect with the world’s leading markets – the East Coast of the US, Europe, Central America and Latin America. At 268 hectares, Monsú is a 5-in-1 mega-project combining industrial and commercial operations across a range of zones, including:
l The Free Zone (32.1 hectares)
l Logistics Activity Zone and business park (25 hectares)
l Impact Industrial Park (32.5 hectares)
l Service Area (9.1 hectares)
l Expansion Zone (20.6, hectares) –
This zone is an option for a global business platform, offering warehouses and large yards in its first stage of development, with the highest international standards of infrastructure.
These five industrial and logistics zones also take advantage of local tax incentives due to their strategic location on the Colombian Caribbean Coast. The zone benefits from 10 year exemptions on taxes such as those levied on commercial operations (ICA taxes total revenues per year), properties (property tax, levies on real estate), and construction of new works (zoning taxes levied on execution of works or constructions that are issued construction permits).
Monsú is Colombia’s first megapark with 32 hectares of free trade zone providing investors with tax benefits offered by Colombia’s Free Zone regime, leveraging competitiveness and giving access to differential rates, such as income tax rates 14% below that of the rest of the country (20% vs 34%), no custom duties or aggregated taxes (VAT and tariffs) for goods entering the Free Zone from abroad; no parafiscal payments (9% Payroll) and 100% VAT exemption (19%) for raw materials, inputs and finished goods acquired in Colombia. This allows for purchases at lower costs, higher product quality and shorter delivery times, therefore optimising the production chain and the use of promotional tools for international trade.
Location and connectivity
Monsú is located at km 29 via Cordialidad (Bolívar), 39 km from the Port of Cartagena in the city of Cartagena de Indias, strategically situated on the Caribbean just two hours from Florida and one hour from Panama. It has routes to all of Latin America, hence its importance in attracting foreign investment. From Monsú there are seamless maritime and river connections – just three days by ship from the Florida coast and five to seven days to the east coast of the United States.
On the other hand, the industrial zone of Cartagena (Bolívar) encompasses free zones, multiple industrial parks, public and private terminals, all of which makes Cartagena very attractive to any business, since they are located in the most strategic points of the city and are close each other. Access to transport along the Magdalena River connects Monsú to the rest of the country through the Canal del Dique.
Cartagena de Indias is one of the main tourist destinations in Colombia. It is an ideal place for foreign investment as it provides opportunities for agricultural production as well as access to a skilled talent pool and bilingual human resources.
Furthermore, and thanks to its strategic location, the companies that choose Monsú will enjoy prospects for international growth thanks to its proximity to global markets. There is access to a population of more than 900 million across the USA and Latin America. It also acts as a crossroads between North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
The world’s leading shipping companies and airlines all have connections in the region. It is one day by sea to Panama and between one and seven days to the ports of Central America and the east coast of the United States. Benefitting from 3G and 4G roads and with connections to Panama, Monsú offers unbeatable access to the region’s primary markets and quick access to international air cargo and passenger routes.
“Monsú is a long-range and long-term project, estimated to be consolidated in about 15 years and will require an investment of approximately $52m. Monsú is a vote of confidence in the country, especially in the Bolivarian region and the Colombian Caribbean. Monsú consolidates not only this area of Colombia as an investment destination, but also aims to attract investors from all regions and economies of the world,” said Juan Pablo Rivera, President of the ZFB Group
Mr Rivera continued: “In the midst of the new tax conditions and the peace scenario in Colombia, Monsú will be a great option as a destination for new foreign direct investment, taking advantage of the capacities that the region offers today, and will become a proposal that will increase the competitiveness of any business.”
Support of the ZFB Group
The construction, promotion and commercialisation of Monsú, Ciudad Industrial and Logística del Caribe, is supported by the ZFB Group, a leading business group in the management and development of commercial zones. ZFB Group have over 21 years of experience and have built more than 4,305,000-sq-foot of successful projects, including industrial and services parks, warehouses, offices, data centres and custom projects.
The ZFB Group is a leader in the operation of free zones in Colombia applying methodologies such as the PMI for the development of the projects, thus guaranteeing compliance with the highest quality standards. Additionally, it is members of the Global Compact contributing to the commitment of sustainable development. ZFB Group was recently certified by the INCONTEC International and the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá in Best Practices of Innovation B.P.I.
Mr Rivera concluded: “The objective of the ZFB Group is to generate competitive environments in different segments such as industry, logistics and services and technology. Amid the new political scenario in Colombia, Monsú is a great option as a destination for foreign investment thanks to the benefits offered by the Caribbean region today. Monsú is a proposal that will increase the competitiveness of any business.
“Currently, the project is being commercialised in Clemencia, Bolívar, where it is foreseen that tailored projects can be developed at a larger scale than those we have developed so far in other regions and may reach an investment of around $65m.”
Further information
