Cali, Colombia targets in japanese investment opportunities at Expo Osaka 2025
Cali, August 29th, 2025. From September 1st, 2025—and throughout the following week—a delegation from the Mayor’s Office of Cali and Invest Pacific will be in Asia positioning the city as an attractive hub for foreign investment, tourism, and cooperation. The mission aims to engage Asian business leaders from diverse industries, while also strengthening opportunities for collaboration on key projects that will enhance the quality of life for Cali’s residents.
This mission is framed within Expo 2025 Osaka, where Colombia is featured as a tourism destination opening its doors to the Asian market. The delegation is led by Mabel Lara, Secretary of Economic Development of Cali’s Mayor’s Office; Lina Ramírez, Head of Relations and Cooperation at the Mayor’s Office; and Juan Carlos Castro, Executive Director of Invest Pacific.
In Japan, the agenda includes meetings with government authorities, companies, and research centers in Osaka and Kyoto. On September 1st and 2nd, Invest Pacific will participate in the International Business Matchmaking Forum “Colombia, the Country of Beauty”, organized by ProColombia, which promotes Colombia as a tourism and investment destination, while fostering Colombian exports to Asia.
“For this forum, we already have several meetings scheduled with Asian companies interested in developing projects in sectors such as infrastructure, sustainability, and bioenergy. Our city is increasingly positioned as an attractive destination for companies that, beyond meeting their ambitious decarbonization goals, seek to develop projects linked to environmental protection and biodiversity preservation,” said Juan Carlos Castro, Executive Director of Invest Pacific, Cali and Valle del Cauca’s foreign investment promotion agency.
In Singapore, the Cali delegation will lead meetings with key players in the urban and economic ecosystem: the National Parks Board, to explore green infrastructure models applicable to the city’s park network; the Centre for Liveable Cities, to exchange knowledge on planning and sustainability policies; and the Latin American Chamber of Commerce, to foster economic linkages with Southeast Asia.
“Cali is moving forward. That is why we are fulfilling our 2024 commitment to take part in Expo Osaka this 2025. We have seen how strategic this platform is for positioning our city-region, especially through two unique value propositions: birdwatching tourism and salsa. In the first half of 2024, over 3,100 Japanese visitors traveled to Cali. Moreover, Expo Osaka is expected to host more than 28 million visitors from over 150 countries. This mission is crucial for generating economic and tourism impact for Cali,” said Mabel Lara, Secretary of Economic Development of the Mayor’s Office.
It is worth noting that Invest Pacific is currently advancing seven potential Japanese investment projects valued at more than USD 500 million. If materialized, these projects—spanning renewable energy, chemicals, and software development—could generate over 700 formal jobs for residents of Cali and Valle del Cauca.
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