Noboa Pitches Ecuador as 'Year of Construction' at Dubai World Government Summit

President Daniel Noboa returned from the World Government Summit 2026 in Dubai with a clear message for international investors: Ecuador is open for business, and 2026 is the year to prove it.

What Happened in Dubai

Noboa attended the summit from February 2-5, using the platform to promote Ecuador's investment potential across four key sectors:

• Agriculture -- Highlighting cacao, shrimp, bananas, and flowers
• Construction -- $600 million budgeted for road and infrastructure projects in 2026
• Technology -- Digital economy development and government modernization
• Responsible mining -- Positioning Ecuador's mineral wealth as a growth opportunity

Bilateral Meetings

On the sidelines, Noboa held one-on-one meetings with:

• Dominican Republic's president -- Discussing trade, investment, and shared challenges
• Estonia's president -- Exploring digital services, e-governance, and human mobility frameworks

Estonia's digital governance model -- widely considered the most advanced in the world -- could provide a template for Ecuador's ongoing efforts to digitize government services, including the E-Visa system that all expats now use for residency applications.

UAE Anti-Corruption Agreement

Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates signed a cooperation agreement focused on combating corruption through technology and shared strategy. The agreement covers:

• Information exchange between anti-corruption bodies
• Technology-based transparency tools
• Best practices for public procurement

The $600 Million Infrastructure Pledge

Perhaps the most concrete takeaway for people living in Ecuador: Noboa declared 2026 will be "the year of construction and employment," with $600 million earmarked for road and infrastructure projects across the country.

For expats who drive, that could mean improvements to chronically problematic routes -- though which specific projects will receive funding hasn't been detailed yet.

What This Means for Expats

Presidential trips to international forums don't directly affect daily life, but they matter for the medium-term environment you're living in:

• Foreign investment creates jobs and economic activity, which supports the stability expats depend on
• Infrastructure spending could improve roads, airports, and public services
• Digital governance improvements could (eventually) make dealings with Ecuadorian bureaucracy less painful
• The mining pitch will be controversial domestically, particularly in Cuenca where opposition to large-scale mining remains strong

Noboa's challenge is execution. Ecuador has a long history of ambitious announcements at international forums that don't translate into results on the ground. Whether this round is different remains to be seen.

Sources: Infobae, Primicias, El Telegrafo, La Republica