COLOMBIA · INVESTMENT
Corficolombiana, a Colombian investment firm, says 64% of the 2,197 projects now in prior consultation have waited there for more than three years. Prior consultation is the process in which Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and other ethnic communities must be heard before a project that affects them can go ahead.
The firm’s executive director of economic research, César Pabón, presented the findings on Wednesday 11 November 2026 at a sustainability forum. The study sets the delays beside Colombia’s investment rate, which Corficolombiana puts at 15.7% of GDP in 2026, though it says this does not prove the consultations cause the drop.
Key Facts
- Backlog 2,197 projects were in prior consultation in 2026, and 64% have waited more than three years.
- Age 23% have waited one to three years and 13% less than one year.
- Trend New cases averaged 283.1 a year in 2020–2026, against 117.7 a year in 2005–2015.
- Investment Fixed investment is estimated at 15.7% of GDP in 2026, against 24.1% in 2007.
- Policy Presidential Directive 06 of 14 October 2026, on prior consultation, sets new coordination rules.
- Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.1 points (November 2026 edition).
What the Study Found
Of the 2,197 projects, 921 (about 42%) are still at the initial stage. Another 900 are at the stage where agreements are formalised, 362 are in follow-up and 14 are at a proportionality test, a step for cases where talks do not produce agreement.
The oldest cases are the largest group: 64% have been in the process for over three years. New cases averaged 283.1 a year in 2020–2026, more than double the 117.7 a year of 2005–2015.
Why Consultations Have Multiplied
Corficolombiana attributes part of the rise to telecommunications, mainly base stations for mobile networks, and to administrative measures that can directly affect ethnic communities. Measured against the size of fixed investment, new consultations more than doubled between 2011–2020 and 2021–2025.
The study also links the concentration of consultations to regions with higher unmet basic needs, an official poverty measure. It warns that the overlap with falling investment does not by itself show cause and effect.
Three Projects That Show the Delay
The Colectora power line, which is meant to carry wind power from La Guajira, Colombia’s northern desert peninsula, was awarded in 2018 and began pre-consultations in 2019. It had agreements with 235 communities by 2023 and 18 more were certified in 2025, according to the study.
The Sirius natural gas exploration project in the Colombian Caribbean, announced in 2022, had 120 consultations registered for 2026. At Cerrejón, a large open-pit coal mine in La Guajira, 445 agreements were reached in 2024 and 2025 among 510 communities identified.
What Corficolombiana Proposes
The firm says agreements should rest on certainty, coordination and reliability, alongside sustainability and community participation. It proposes running environmental licensing and prior consultation in parallel, with better digital coordination between agencies.
It also cites environmental licences, which fell from 385 granted in 2012 to 112 in 2026, with average processing at 187.8 business days against a legal reference of 90. The government issued Presidential Directive 06 on 14 October 2026 to improve coordination between public entities in these procedures.
In Plain English
Corficolombiana is a Colombian financial corporation that invests in infrastructure, energy and other sectors. Fixed investment means spending on roads, buildings, machinery and similar assets.
Prior consultation is the legal right of ethnic communities to be consulted on projects that affect them. Colombia’s Consejo Gremial Nacional, a business federation, welcomed the new directive when it was issued.
What It Means for You
For US investors and companies planning projects in Colombia, the study points to timing risk, because consultation can add years before construction starts. Corficolombiana estimates that one extra year of delay on a project like Colectora could cost about 8% of its initial investment.
The government is trying to speed the process while keeping community rights in place. Our earlier reports cover Colombia’s investment falling to 16% of GDP and Corficolombiana’s debt interest costs.
What Is Not Known
The study does not prove that consultations cause the fall in investment, and Corficolombiana says so itself. How much Directive 06 will shorten the process is not yet known.
Whether the proposals for parallel licensing and digital coordination will become rules has not been announced. More coverage is on our Colombia news page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Prior Consultation in Colombia?
It is the process in which Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and other ethnic communities are consulted before projects that affect them go ahead. It can involve roads, mines, power lines and mobile antennas.
How Many Colombian Projects Are Delayed?
Corficolombiana counted 2,197 projects in prior consultation in 2026, and 64% have waited more than three years. Another 23% have waited one to three years.
What Is Presidential Directive 06?
It is a presidential directive issued on 14 October 2026 to improve coordination between public entities in consultation procedures. Corficolombiana cites it among the government’s responses.
Sources: Corficolombiana, economic research study presented by César Pabón at the Luz Verde sustainability forum, 11 November 2026 (corficolombiana.com); Government of Colombia, Presidential Directive 06 of 2026 on prior consultation, 14 October 2026.
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