GUAYAS PROVINCE, READY TO SHAPE ITS OWN FUTURE
The powerhouse province welcomes the chance to take control

Guayas in the south western coastal area of Ecuador is the most populated province of Ecuador, home to 3,257 million people—approximately a quarter of the population of the country.

This province is rich in natural resources, and one of the most important for agriculture. Banana, cacao, rice, sugar cane, cotton, tropical flowers and fruits are grown there, both for domestic consumption and export. There is a fishing industry, focused mainly on tuna and on shrimp farming, and food, cement, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.

At the helm for more than a decade has been the Prefect of the Province of Guayas, Nicolás Lapentti Carrión. Mr. Lapentti, an Ecuadorian tennis hero in his youth and the father of two current top players, is a popular and dynamic leader who has won the last three elections and built up a solid base of support among the community and private enterprise.

While the long-term aim for the province is to be granted greater autonomy from the state and eventually achieve self-government, the priority now is to continue the decentralization process already underway.
On January 23, 2000, Guayas became the first province in Ecuador to hold a referendum to vote on its autonomy. Eighty-five percent of the population voted in favor.

NICOLÁS LAPENTTI CARRIÓN nicolás lapentti carrión Prefect of the Province of Guayas

“We are at a transitory stage,” says Mr. Lapentti, whose Social Christian Party (PSC) has controlled the province since 1992. “We have discussed autonomy with central government, but first we have to decentralize. The previous government signed an agreement, in which the President of the Republic, several ministers and all the prefects of the country agreed that numerous sectors, including roads, tourism, agriculture, health, and the environment would be decentralized.”

The province’s road network is the most notable example of the progress that has been made. More than half of the 600 miles of the network are open to private concession, except those serving the coast, which is expected to draw significant interest from investors and partners.

According to Mr. Lapentti, the development of the road network is the most fundamental responsibility taken on so far. “We try to focus on fundamental areas such as education, health, infrastructure, and sport,” says Mr. Lapentti. “We have been involved in more than 40 projects all over the province from construction and repair of stadiums to tap water projects, but 80% of our job is the campaign to improve the roads.”

“We asked for the whole network to be handed over to us. It was in ruins. There was no concessioning out of repairs, and we had to adapt the legal framework to get to the point we have reached today.”

Guayas has used the authority devolved from central government to improve the road network by concessioning work to private firms

In the area of health, the provincial administration has established what it calls its “Medical Brigades” program. Fourteen mobile units equipped with doctors and medicine travel the province to as many as 3,000 to 4,000 patients per day.

Improvements to the infrastructure of the province will also contribute to the ongoing development of its tourism sector. Guayas has thriving seaside resorts along its Pacific coastline, which has potential for further investment. However, the authority wants to extend Guayas’s appeal beyond sand and sea.

“We believe that tourism should not be limited to the beaches, but should extend throughout the province,” says Mr. Lapentti. “We are supporting a number of projects that will allow the visitor to have an wide range of choices for tourism.”

“The major advantage the province offers for foreign investors is that they will find the most appropriate conditions to do business in Guayas, whatever activity they choose,” Mr. Lapentti affirms.