Paraguay – the Silicon Valley of South America?


But more young people will need to be trained. The technology minister says the new digital park will also be home to The University of Technology, which is a joint venture between Taiwan and Paraguay.

Meanwhile, there are other initiatives to train young people in the country. “We are working really hard to create a mass of software engineers, programmers and everything you need to provide software services,” says Vanessa Cañete, president of trade group Paraguayan Chamber of the Software Industry.

Ms Cañete says she is also passionate about encouraging more women to study computer engineering. In 2017 she set up Girls Code, a non-profit association which aims to close the tech gender gap.

It organises programming and robotics workshops for teenagers and young women, with more than 1,000 receiving some sort of training to date.

Ms Cañete adds that software developers are also given English lessons for up to four years to improve their communication with overseas firms.

The people I met are brimming with positivity about what Paraguay has to offer the tech world, but they are also pragmatic.

Ms Cibils says there are still “growing pains” for foreign investors, with issues like bureaucracy, which can hold things up adapting local contracts to standardised international ones.

But she is adamant that “if you put innovation at its core and leverage all the benefits that the country has I think Paraguay can be a superpower”.


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