CABEI and the Republic of El Salvador formalize financing for the Surf City Program – Phase II

San Salvador, October 30, 2025. The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of El Salvador subscribed to a loan agreement totaling US$65 million for the Surf City Program - Phase II. This strategic initiative will improve urban mobility, tourism, and logistics, as well as natural resource management in the department of La Libertad, directly benefiting more than 69,000 Salvadorans.

This program will allow for the expansion of 8.2 kilometers of the CA02W route to four lanes between the Xanadú residential area and El Zonte beach, the construction of a bridge over the Huiza River in the Melara canton, and the installation of two wastewater treatment plants in the area of influence of the beaches of El Majahual, San Blas, El Cocal, Conchalío, San Diego, and Cangrejera beaches in the department of La Libertad.

The Surf City Program is a large-scale initiative comprising several phases, in which CABEI has been a strategic partner since its inception, participating in financing across different stages of the program. The Bank's commitment began in December 2023, when a non-reimbursable technical cooperation grant of US$52,500.00 was approved under CABEI's Pre-investment Financing and Technical Cooperation Program to support the formulation of the Surf City Program.

In September 2024, CABEI authorized financing of US$113.9 million for the Surf City Program - Phase I, aimed at improving urban mobility, tourism, and logistics conditions in the departments of La Libertad and Sonsonate. This phase includes the increase of Highway CA02W Section II, the construction of a wastewater treatment plant for the El Palmarcito and El Sunzal areas in La Libertad, and the construction of the interchange between Highway CA02W and Highway to Acajutla (CA12S), known as Kilo 5, in Sonsonate.

It is important to note that, thanks to the Bank's efforts to catalyze more resources, this Phase II has recently secured co-financing from the OPEC Fund in the amount of US$70 million, bringing the total investment for this phase of the program to US$135 million. With the formalization of this financing, CABEI's total support for the Surf City Program reaches more than US$178 million, consolidating the Bank as a strategic partner in the development of El Salvador's most important tourism corridor.