Students of Columbia University visited Aruba for Capstone Projects

March 2019, Aruba – Last year, Columbia University and the Government of Aruba signed an agreement for two capstone projects on innovation in Aruba. As part of these two agreed Capstone Innovation Projects with Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, two teams of 8 master’s students came to Aruba for a site visit to meet with key stakeholders and collect data for their respective research projects. This project was coordinated by the innovation lab of the Government of Aruba, Futura.

The first capstone project was focused on the possibilities of diversifying the Aruban economy through the Aruba Free Zone. Currently, the Aruba Free Zone offers a multitude of possibilities to support business expansion and seeks to benefit from European and North American businesses that want to exploit commercial opportunities in the Caribbean and Latin America. The team analyzed the current use of the Aruba Free Zone and will provide recommendations for ways Aruba can attract new businesses and industries.

The second capstone project was focused on creating a strategy for capacity building for e-Government implementation (i.e., the human side of e-Government). This team will be analyzing Aruba’s e-governance agenda and subsequently provide a plan of action for capacity building within the public sphere.

The Government of Aruba looks forward to explore opportunities for future collaboration between Aruba and Columbia University.