The Deputy Minister of Economy and Internationalisation, Gustavo González de Vega, presented on Thursday in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria the tools for Canary Islands businesses to compete globally. In 2025, the attracted investment reached €266 million.
The Hotel Cristina in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria hosted the Economy and Internationalisation Days on Thursday, presided over by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Internationalisation and Vice President of Proexca, Gustavo González de Vega. In front of a hundred guests from the island's business community, the regional official detailed the new pathways and tools for Canary Islands businesses to compete on a global level.
Under the slogan “The internationalisation of our economy is our best version”, González de Vega presented the technical lecture “Pathways and business tools to compete globally from the Canary Islands: A roadmap towards productivity”. In it, he explained that the new strategy of the regional government is based on three pillars: boosting exports (Out), attracting capital and businesses (In), and training local talent (Grow).
“Our roadmap is based on three very clear angles of internationalisation: Out, In and Grow,” affirmed the Deputy Minister. For this machinery to work, the Government assumes “a coordinating role for the alignment of internationalisation, based on both horizontal and vertical governance through the Regional Council of Internationalisation – CRI.”
The results from the past year support these policies. “In 2025 alone, we achieved an attracted investment of €266 million thanks to 61 external projects that chose the Canary Islands, generating 489 direct jobs,” detailed González de Vega. Regarding the international expansion of Canary Islands businesses, he noted that “our companies generated €31.88 million in estimated business volume through 108 promotional actions and over 3,300 B2B meetings.”
The Canary Islands audiovisual sector also received a special mention. “The sectoral impact has exceeded €432 million, managing to maintain around 20,000 jobs during the 180 shoots that took place in 2025,” revealed the Deputy Minister.
To consolidate this position, González de Vega presented the integration into global value chains through the 360 Sectoral Plans, focused on areas such as audiovisual, technology, blue economy, aerospace, agri-food, health, and tourism. He also highlighted the Canarias-Latam Strategy, which aims to connect the “Canarias Latamtech” ecosystem with countries like Colombia and organise events such as the upcoming Ibero-American Tourism Forum in 2027.
The event was attended by the Ambassador of Ghana to Spain, Kulsoume Sinare Baffoe; the political and economic advisor of the embassy, Beatrice Effah; and the honorary consul of Ghana in the Canary Islands, Daniel Fitzjohns-Sherington. Additionally, the Secretary General of the Ibero-American Business Council (CEIB), Narciso Casado, spoke, highlighting the opportunities of the Canary Islands as a business hub in the Atlantic and recalling the importance of the MiPyme event being held in the islands in 2005.
After the technical presentation, a round table titled “Stories that Inspire: when the international leap multiplies productivity” was held, moderated by Pilar Rumeu. In it, three Canary Islands companies shared their experiences competing globally from the islands.
Amuse Animation, an animation studio based in Gran Canaria, was represented by its co-founder Elena Catalán. The company employs around a hundred people and has won over 20 awards. Catalán highlighted the tax advantages, connectivity, talent, and ecosystem of the islands as reasons for establishing in Gran Canaria.
Ecos Group, a consultancy specialised in blue economy and sustainability, participated through its CEO, Manuel de la Rosa. The company leads environmental studies for the future implementation of offshore wind energy in the islands and is a benchmark in compliance with European regulations.
The technology sector was represented by Mottum Analítica, a generative artificial intelligence startup supported by the Canarias Aporta programme, which has benefited 314 projects. The company has expanded its social impact technological solutions to states in Mexico such as Querétaro and Zacatecas.
The days concluded with a call to Canary Islands companies to take advantage of the tools and pathways presented, with the aim of continuing to boost the internationalisation of the islands' economy and improving their global competitiveness.
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