Being on the Map Is Not Enough, We Have to Earn Our Place

Mexico doesn’t need a messianic leader. What this country needs is thousands of hands steering in the same direction. If there’s one thing this historic moment is teaching us, it’s that geographical advantage is not the same as strategic readiness. Opportunity means nothing without vision, coordination, and action.

Global supply chains are shifting. Trade routes are being redrawn. And Mexico is (thanks to its location and momentum) at the center of the conversation. But being in the conversation is not the same as having a voice in the outcome. One thing is to be invited to the table, and another is to shape the agenda.

Our country has everything it needs to become a world-class logistics and manufacturing hub. But until we have the infrastructure, legal certainty, and cohesive local actors, every nearshoring opportunity will be just another missed flight.

Let’s imagine the economy as an airplane. 

To take off, it needs two engines: one economic and one social. It needs enough fuel (clean energy, water, logistics, talent) and a well-trained crew. The government is the crew. But those who plan the route, finance the journey, and keep the plane in the air are the rest of us: businesses, universities, society, talent, and of course, SMEs.

The wings of that airplane must be strong enough to carry a society full of contrasts. Because if the plane takes off without its wings (without local ecosystems, small players, and regional economies) it won’t go far. And if there’s no balance between economic growth and social development, it will crash.

We must stop watching from the sidelines and start building together.

One of our biggest mistakes is thinking that this is just about attracting foreign investment. FDI is not a magic solution. It’s not about piling factories into industrial parks and celebrating record numbers. It’s about attracting the right locomotives, those that connect to our value chains, invest in our people, and commit to long-term development. It’s about ensuring that what comes from abroad doesn’t displace what is already growing within.

Today, our biggest challenge is not lack of opportunity. It’s the lack of a shared strategy. We’re still acting like isolated islands instead of parts of a greater system. SMEs are not fully integrated into national value chains. The financial system is more focused on consumption than production. Government reacts more than it anticipates.

Meanwhile, the world moves forward. Europe is protecting its industries. The United States is rethinking its supply chain dependencies. China is reinventing its position. In a unified Europe, the Germans are more patriotic than ever. The Catalans, more regionalist than ever. And us? We’re more defeatist and more disconnected than ever.

We’ve uprooted ourselves culturally from Latin America, but we haven’t truly rooted ourselves in North America. We’re stuck in a kind of economic limbo. We’re no longer the backyard, but we’re not acting like the front door either.

This is why infrastructure must be a national priority: highways, railroads, ports, customs, airports; everything needs to work together to ensure fast, safe, and modern logistics. But beyond physical infrastructure, what we need most is a mental shift.

We must foster local complementarity, not polarity. It’s not about either/or. It’s about working together. Mexico cannot grow in pieces. We need a government that’s light and flexible locally, and bold and ambitious globally.

And we don’t need scattered efforts, we need convergent public policies. Nearshoring will not be solved through press releases or speeches. It requires execution, leadership, and long-term planning.

We need to build highly specialized project integrators, with cutting-edge technology and the ability to coordinate across public and private sectors. They must define clear roles based on a shared national vision, integrating not only SMEs, but also universities, local governments, young talent, and business leaders. Everyone has a role to play on the field.

Let’s speak of economics, not just politics. Let’s stop playing defense and start building our offensive strategy.

Imagine we were talking about football: First, we need a stadium to play in (infrastructure: roads, energy, water, technology). Second, we need a full team (goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, coaching staff, support bench) all aligned to a common objective. Third, we need a strong referee (a legal and institutional framework that is clear and stable). And fourth, we need a passionate fanbase that backs the team, one that supports local businesses, values local products, and stands by our national effort.

Because today’s challenge is both intra- and inter-generational. It’s about building for the long run. It’s about taking responsibility, not just for what we inherit, but for what we leave behind.

Yes, there is hope. But only if we shift from raising hands to ask, to using both hands to build.

This country doesn’t need more ideas, it needs execution. It needs fewer spectators and more players. Less finger-pointing and more rolling up of sleeves. It needs a common story that unites those who are building, creating, and choosing to stay, every day, betting on this country with everything they have.

So, instead of closing with conclusions, let me extend an invitation:

To business owners, SME leaders, entrepreneurs, students, professionals, thinkers and doers. To all those who are tired of being told “we can’t,” to those who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving:

Mexico won’t change on its own.
It needs you.
Your vision.
Your action.
Your voice.

Being on the map is not enough, we have to earn our place.