Cochabamba Mayor proposes regional integration plan for Bolivia

Cochabamba Mayor Manfred Reyes Villa has proposed a strategic vision to transform the region into Bolivia’s central hub for economic and productive integration. Highlighting the city’s geographic position as a bridge between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, Reyes Villa aims to connect the highlands, valleys, and lowlands to overcome political divisions.

The plan focuses on four fundamental pillars: improving the road network to reach major ports, modernizing aviation infrastructure, reactivating the national railway system, and developing river highways (hidrovías) for cargo transport.

Reyes Villa also emphasized the need to add value to local resources, specifically minerals and agricultural products from the Cochabamba tropics, rather than exporting them in their raw state. He described the region’s untapped potential as sitting on a ‘Silla de Oro’ (Golden Chair).