Andean Group - April 2026

BOLIVIA | Head of state hydrocarbon company fired. On 30 March Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz replaced Yussef Akly, the president of state hydrocarbon company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) who had run the company since Paz took office in November 2025. Akly was replaced by Claudia Cronenbold, who has worked for over two decades at Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras, including as corporate manager in Bolivia since 2018 and corporate director in Colombia from 2009-2011. She was also general manager of YPFB’s pipeline company Transierra from 2011-2014, and chairwoman of the Bolivian hydrocarbon lobby Cámara Boliviana de Hidrocarburos y Energía from 2014-2020. “The country needs technical leadership and commitment,” Energy Minister Mauricio Medinaceli said at Cronenbold’s swearing-in ceremony. Her predecessor, Akly, had come under intense pressure over a fuel contamination scandal which has forced the government to negotiate with transport unions seeking compensation for engine damage.

PERU | New mining and energy minister. On 23 March Peru’s President José María Balcázar appointed Waldir Ayasta as his new energy and mining minister. Ayasta’s predecessor Ángelo Alfaro resigned on 22 March after a woman told Peruvian television channel Willax that he had sexually assaulted her in 2000 when she was 16 years old. Ayasta previously served as deputy electricity minister in 2025 and was in charge of the rural electrification programme from 2024-2025. A statement from the mining and energy ministry (Minem) said that he will focus on “driving new investments to strengthen the mining and energy sectors and continue reducing inequalities in access to energy”. His appointment comes as Minem announced yesterday that mining exports surged by 27.2% in 2025 to total US$62.85bn. The growth in exports was led by gold and copper, with Minem highlighting high international prices, strong global demand, gold’s role as a refuge for investors, and high prices for other metals used in manufacturing. Mining products accounted for 61.7% of Peru’s total exports in 2025.

Andean countries: inflation rate
Percentage variation (year-on-year)

Andean countries: GDP growth (%)
Quarterly figures are year-on-year growth