Jorge Nuño Appointed as Head of The Ministry of Infrastructure

President López Obrador announced that Jorge Nuño will be the next Minister of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation, after the previous minister, Jorge Arganis, said he will not be able to continue in the position because of health problems.

López Obrador announced that Nuño will soon substitute Arganis, who held the position until Sept. 7, 2022, when he took a break while citing unspecified health issues. In October, López Obrador paid a visit to Arganis, but he refused to declare whether Arganis would stay on.

According to López Obrador, Nuño is expected to be nominated between mid and late November. Nuño is familiar with the ministry’s procedures since he was temporarily in charge of the office when Arganis announced his time off. “Engineer Arganis is ill, this change is made because we cannot halt our duties,” López Obrador said. 

Nevertheless, López Obrador said that this does not mean that Arganis will no longer form part of the government, as he will become an advisor to the president, as well as oversee the reconstruction of the Ministry of Communications and Public Work (SCOP) building, the predecessor of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT).

Nuño has a bachelor's degree in economics from the Technological Autonomous Institute of Mexico (ITAM) and has a wide experience in public administration. Between 2000 and 2001, he worked at the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) as Chief of Department. Following this stint, he became the Deputy Director of Economic Time Series Analysis at the General Directorate of National Accountability, Socio-Economic Studies and Prices. 

Between 2001 to 2009, Nuño worked at the Ministry of Energy, where he oversaw statistics related to the Energy Information System. Between 2009 to 2013, he was appointed Director of Hydrocarbons Projects at the ministry, where he reviewed and approved the cost-benefit analysis of PEMEX’s investment projects. Until recently, Nuño spearheaded the under-secretariat of the Investment Unit at the Ministry of Finance. Here, he coordinated infrastructure projects aiming to reactivate the economy under the All Together for Mexico's Progress and Wellbeing program.

As head of the infrastructure ministry, Nuño must tackle several challenges. including the improvement of connectivity to the recently inaugurated Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA).