AMLO’s emblematic mega projects may cause more harm than good in Mexico

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Control tower of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport during the tour carried out in October (Photo: Manuel Velásquez)

According to The Economist, a major American newspaper that has been published since September 1843, AMLO’s new megaprojects may do more harm than good.

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has built a sparkling new airport, but is it the right one?

MEXICO’S ARMED FORCES are proud of the toilets at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport.

The army built the airport near Mexico City, which is due to open on March 21st and will run it, but it is a commercial facility. Each bathroom has a theme, explains a sergeant providing a tour.

Among them are Lucha libre (wrestling) and the Day of the Dead. From loos to lounges the terminal sparkles—but that does not make it a good investment.

The airport is one of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s three signature infrastructure projects.

The others are an oil refinery in Tabasco, his home state, and a train around the Yucatán peninsula.

The trio has provoked even more controversy than most big public works. No one doubts that Mexico needs more investment.

At 1.3% of GDP, government investment is the lowest in the OECD, a club mainly of rich countries.

But Mexico “needs projects with a high return, whether social or economic”, says Sofía Ramírez of México, ¿Como Vamos? A think tank.

Click here to read the complete original article on The Economist

Source: The Economist

Mexico Daily Post