Twenty years ago, the vision of connecting the Pacific to the Atlantic through the Peruvian Amazon heartland seemed like an ambitious dream. Today, IIRSA Norte, a concessionaire of Nova Infra Invest, celebrates its 20th anniversary as a strategic multimodal corridor that not only connects regions but also boosts foreign trade, energizes economies, and positions our country as a logistical hub between South America and Asia.

In 2024, trade between Peru and Brazil surpassed USD 5.117 billion, making Brazil the third-largest supplier of goods to Peru and its second-largest trading partner in Latin America. In this context, IIRSA Norte has played a key role: since its concession in 2005, Peruvian exports to Brazil have increased 3.6 times, from USD 458 million to USD 1.644 billion.

This corridor — which links Pacific ports to the Amazon jungle and envisions a direct connection to Manaus via the future Amazon Waterway — has become a critical route for expanding exports of agri-food, forestry, and bio-industrial products from northern Peru to the Manaus Free Trade Zone. It is projected that more than 1.2 million metric tons of goods will move through this corridor by 2028, generating annual logistics revenues of USD 200 million and impacting Peru’s GDP by over USD 500 million.

The Chancay – IIRSA Norte – Amazon Waterway – Manaus corridor is also projected as an alternative to the Panama Canal, offering up to 10 days of transit time savings and lower exposure to geopolitical risks. This strengthens Peru’s logistical competitiveness and positions it as a South American bi-oceanic hub, facilitating cargo movement between China and Brazil through Peruvian territory.

One of the most significant impacts for the population has been job creation along the IIRSA Norte route. In 2024 alone, it is estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 formal jobs were created, along with up to 130,000 indirect and induced jobs, many in traditionally marginalized areas. This employment dynamic has helped strengthen local economies, improve household incomes, and reduce informality in key regions of northern and Amazonian Peru.

The IIRSA Norte Concessionaire celebrates 20 years of uninterrupted operation, a period in which it has proven that infrastructure can also be a driver of social and economic transformation. Today, the challenge is clear: to consolidate this corridor with improvements in river, port, and customs infrastructure, making Peru a true continental hinge.