The sixth in a series of seven workshops to improve the bankability of sustainable infrastructure initiatives in Mexico

People meeting around a table in Mexico
TheCityFix Labs México Workshop in Xalapa. Photo by WRI México 

WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities conducted the sixth workshop of the ongoing technical assistance program TheCityFix Labs México. The main objective of the workshop, held in Xalapa, Mexico, was to help the local government project sponsors refine their financial strategies and provide an initial opportunity to practice the pitches before making their presentations to financial institutions.  

Teresa Limón Soto, of Citibanamex in Xalapa, opened the workshop by highlighting the importance of the development and implementation of sustainable and green infrastructure projects in Mexico. “We seek to promote sustainable, fair, and inclusive growth that not only generates economic value, but also improves the well-being of the communities where we operate and is compatible with the protection and conservation of our environment,” she said.

The workshop program was dedicated, in large part, to summarizing the general financing structure of each project, including funding sources, revenues and operating models. Participants learned and shared information about different ways to improve the financing models for their respective projects. Project sponsors rehearsed their project pitches and received feedback from WRI experts and program mentors in advance of the seventh workshop and final event. 

Gabriela Morales, Manager for Water and Green Infrastructure at WRI México, said improving the narrative of each project is an important priority of TheCityFix Labs. “The goal is to provide greater clarity for potential lenders and investors in green and sustainable infrastructure as to the potential rate of return and payback of the projects,” she said. “This phase of the technical assistance program will also help to better refine the solutions to the problems as well as the environmental and social benefits of each project.”

The seventh workshop of TheCityFixLabs México technical assistance program will take place in Cancun on March 27, 2020. Additional support for this workshop came from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Project pitches will be refined during the upcoming seventh workshop and then formally presented to financial institutions during the final event in late April 2020 in Mexico City.

For more information on the TheCityFix Labs México, please visit www.wrimexico.org.