Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 31 Jan (Europa Press) –
The Deputy Minister of Economy and Internationalisation of the Government of the Canary Islands and vice president of Proexca, Gustavo González de Vega, has signed this Friday with all cluster presidents and business associations of the islands the internationalisation strategy for the year 2025.
In a statement, the regional department highlights that the innovation in this meeting was the participation, for the first time, of one of the youngest and rapidly expanding sectors on the islands, namely the video game industry. The Canary Islands thus represents 2.6% of this industry in Spain, making it the seventh autonomous community in the sector.
“The Government’s commitment is unequivocal as it contributes to the economic diversification of the islands and recognises their potential. We are nurturing talent, creating jobs, and fostering the growth of our companies by providing all the resources at our disposal to achieve this,” stated the Deputy Minister of Economy and Internationalisation.
Support for New Markets
In this regard, González de Vega emphasised that the goal is to “support” these companies in “exploring new markets”, facilitating the cross-border expansion that is “crucial” for competing in global markets. These agreements bolster the Government’s support for “strategic actions that culminate in successes for these businesses.”
The recently established Canarian Regional Association for the Development of Electronic Sports and Video Games – Arcadev was also represented by its president Zulay Rodríguez, who celebrated the materialisation of these agreements into “real projects for Canarian businesses” and recalled “the impact of the collaboration agreement between a Canarian studio, Quantum Box, and a Japanese firm, Route24,” which was established just a few days prior.
The audiovisual cluster of the Canary Islands was also represented. This sector, one of the most rapidly expanding in recent years, is deemed a model to emulate in terms of management and execution, producing excellent outcomes, according to the Ministry.
According to the latest study conducted between 2022 and 2023, the audiovisual sector in the Canary Islands accounts for between 2.3 and 2.6% of GDP, as noted by the Ministry. In this context, Executive Committee member of the Cluster, Raúl Carbó, underscored “the successes achieved” with Proexca’s support in venturing abroad and participating in international fairs and events such as the International Film Festival of San Sebastián or Annecy, which are crucial for this industry.
The president of the Maritime Cluster and Aquaculture, Germán Suárez, stressed the significance of internationalisation within the sector and how the Canary Maritime Cluster will continue to work towards amplifying the number of coordinated initiatives undertaken by public administrations to enhance visibility and support for the businesses of the islands, as exemplified by Wind Europe in the marine renewables sector, which will be held in Copenhagen this year.
Jorge Escuder, the president of the Industrial Association of the Canary Islands (Asinca), highlighted how these agreements facilitate the growth of industries within markets on the Peninsula and in Africa, such as Senegal and Morocco, stating that the actions to bolster internationalisation are vital for ensuring the competitiveness of the Canarian manufacturing industry.
Additionally, they noted from the Ministry that the export of Canary Islands bananas, the principal exporter to the Peninsula, is complemented by collaboration with the Association of Organisations of Banana Producers of the Canary Islands – Asprocan, which is enabling the development of new markets in countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, and Morocco.
Oswaldo Brito, the president of the Canary Cluster for Technological Excellence, also emphasised the importance of supporting Canary and Startup SMEs in presenting their projects and ideas at international forums, where synergies and opportunities for global growth emerge.
Other significant associations were also present at the event, including the Canarian Federation of Port Companies (Fedeport), Assocan, and the Canary Islands Consulting and Advising Cluster, which promote direct missions with multilateral organisations based in Brussels and have already established themselves as a Lobby before the EU.
The newly established global clusters Sani Hub, the aeronautical cluster, and the Canary Chip cluster were also represented, with project plans still being drafted as it is the first year of inauguration, concludes the regional department.
