Economic/Commercial Section

The Economic/Commercial Section fosters economic opportunity in the United States and Nicaragua by:

• Providing policy advice to the Ambassador and Washington-based officials;
• Briefing U.S. firms on opportunities and obstacles to trade and investment in Nicaragua;
• Promoting bilateral trade between the United States and Nicaragua;
• Supporting U.S. citizens in their efforts to recover expropriated property;
• Working to afford U.S. firms a level playing field on which to compete.  

Our Services /Important Information

Our U.S. and Nicaraguan commercial staff stand ready to assist U.S. businesses and individuals seeking to do business in Nicaragua. We partner with the U.S. Commercial Service – Central America to expand the range of commercial services and resources we are able to provide.

We support U.S. and Nicaraguan businesses in a variety of ways.  We regularly meet with representatives from U.S. companies which are interested in doing business in Nicaragua to brief them on the investment climate here. We also offer a range of commercial services for those companies.  We provide assistance to Nicaraguan companies which seek to purchase equipment or materials from U.S. companies.  We monitor implementation of CAFTA-DR within Nicaragua, and are glad to meet with U.S. businesses encountering issues that would be relevant to CAFTA-DR.  Finally, we recruit delegations of Nicaraguan businesspeople who are interested in attending trade shows in the United States.

Please visit the U.S. Commercial Service – Central America site to gain a better understanding of their efforts at: http://www.buyusa.gov/centralamerica/en/. You may also contact our commercial specialists directly at 011-505-2252-7100 (ext. 7371 or 7559), fax 011-505-2252-7564, or e-mail: managuaecon@state.gov.

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) supports U.S. Agricultural exports to Nicaragua.

The Property Office staff provides support to U.S. citizens seeking to recover expropriated property or involved in other property disputes with the Government of Nicaragua.

The Country Commercial Guide for Nicaragua is a reference document for those interested in doing business in Nicaragua. President Ortega’s remarks on capitalism (in Spanish) also provide useful perspective on the investment climate in Nicaragua.

Environmental protection remains a key policy priority for the United States.

Other Resources

Free Trade
The United States – Central America – Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement provides the framework for the trade and investment relationship between the United States and Nicaragua. The United States supports the Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas Initiative to deepen existing economic partnerships and cooperation to ensure that the benefits of free trade and open investment are broadly shared throughout our societies.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) have formed Entrepreneurship, a new public-private partnership focused on leveraging best practices in entrepreneurial leadership to advance economic growth around the world.

In his 2010 State of the Union speech, President Obama laid out his plan to rescue, rebuild, and restore America. An important element of the President's plan is to "double exports over the next five years, an increase that will support two million new jobs in America," including the launch of the National Export Initiative.

Only 4% of U.S. businesses export, although 95% of the world’s consumers live outside of the United States. The National Export Initiative (NEI) helps small- and medium-sized enterprises U.S. companies tap into this growth potential by working to remove international trade barriers; increase funding for export promotion and trade financing; and help U.S. businesses seek out new markets overseas. The U.S. State Department, U.S. Commerce Department, Small Business Administration, Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service are collaborating in this effort to promote exports.

Investing in America
There are many factors attracting foreign investors to the United States, but among the factors are: our open and welcoming investment climate; the adaptability of the American economy; and the skills and innovative drive of the American people.  These are also directly related to why the U.S. recently has enjoyed the fastest acceleration of productivity growth among the major industrialized countries. Despite a 57% plunge in foreign direct investment in 2009, the United States still remained the world's top investment destination. Those interested in investing in the United States can find helpful information from SelectUSA.

Corporate Social Responsibility
The Nicaraguan Union for Social Responsibility is a local nongovernment organization that supports good corporate citizenship in Nicaragua.  Several U.S. companies have active corporate social responsibility programs in Nicaragua.

Economic Recovery
There are many signs that world markets are recovering from the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009.  Recovery.gov provides detailed information on the comprehensive steps that the U.S. Government has undertaken to speed this recovery in the United States. The White House also provides useful information about the progress of the economic recovery.

Competitiveness
Competitiveness is an important theme for the Economic Section, as promoted by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke in the Americas Competitiveness Forum.  A number of measures of competitiveness provide a convenient way to compare Nicaragua to other economies.  The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation also tracks many competitiveness indicators through a Country Scorecard to determine compact eligibility.

Food Security
The U.S. is committed to working as part of a collaborative global effort centered around country-led processes to improve food security.

Protecting Intellectual Property Rights
The Economic Section also offers useful information on the protection of intellectual property rights.

Combating Corruption
American investors working in other countries are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it illegal to offer bribes to government officials in other countries to obtain business, services, or patronage.  U.S. investors found violating the FCPA can and have been prosecuted in the United States as a result.  Many investors report that invoking the FCPA to government officials seeking bribes allows them to avoid setting the precedent of paying bribes while working in other countries.

Combating Terrorism
Executive Order 13224 provides a means by which to disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist organizations by authorizing the U.S. government to designate and block the assets of foreign individuals and entities that commit, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism. In addition, because of the pervasiveness and expansiveness of the financial foundations of foreign terrorists, the Order authorizes the U.S. government to block the assets of individuals and entities that provide support, services, or assistance to, or otherwise associate with, terrorists and terrorist organizations designated under the Order, as well as their subsidiaries, front organizations, agents, and associates.

External Links

• Nicaraguan Government
• Nicaraguan Private Sector