Three key leaders from chambers and associations in the Mexican ICT industry will be meeting with Mexico’s presidential candidates to learn first hand about their proposals and their vision for the sector.

Attending the talks on April 26, 2018, will be Mario de la Cruz, President of the National Chamber of the Electronics, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Industry (CANIETI); Javier Codero Torres from the Mexican Association of the Information Technology Industry (AMITI); and Enrique Culebro Karam from the Association of Internet MX.

During a press conference, Mario de la Cruz stressed the importance of proposals for public policies, as well as very specific actions to be an active part of “the future we already live in”. Therefore, he said, the meeting will also help the candidates to learn about the ideas and positions of all organizations involved.

Enrique Culebro said that a joint agenda for the industry is being developed, which is expected to be delivered to the candidates during the meeting. It will reportedly include elements that allow Mexico to take advantage of the benefits of the digital economy.

Javier Cordero stressed that there are important issues to be considered by candidates, since the IT industry represents around 4% of GDP and, collectively, the sector contributes to more than 8% of GDP while growing at double-digit rates, in addition to securing investments of more than MX$85 billion (US$4.7 billion) in recent years.

De la Cruz also mentioned that talks are being held with the Organization of American States (OAS), so that they can participate as experts on the topic of cybersecurity. This meeting will also include a one-hour dialogue with each candidate to learn about their approaches, in addition to publicizing the points of the industry’s common agenda.

This dialogue is also sponsored by the Mexican Association of Independent Telecommunications (ATIM) and the Council of Entrepreneurs in Technology, Innovation, and Communications (CETIC), forming the industry’s first common front to have a dialogue with presidential candidates, while exposing them to a joint agenda of the sector.