Noboa Came to Cuenca Yesterday — Housing, the Molleturo Road, and $23 Million in Credits

What Happened

President Daniel Noboa spent Tuesday (March 18) in Cuenca on a packed agenda that touched several things expats care about: housing, roads, and infrastructure. Here's what he did and why it matters.

Social Housing: Tu Casa Miti Miti

Noboa delivered 10 apartments at the Las Praderas de Bemani condominium through the government's "Tu Casa Miti Miti" housing program.

The program's terms:

• Interest rate: 4.99% (well below market rates, which hover around 9-11%)
• Down payment: Just 5%
• Loan term: Up to 30 years
• Target: Social-interest housing — meaning units priced for low and middle-income families

Why expats should care: Even if you're not eligible for this specific program, government-subsidized housing construction increases overall supply. More supply means more options and competitive pricing across the market — including for rental properties.

The Cuenca-Molleturo Road Contract

Noboa signed the contract for intervention on the Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme highway — one of the most important (and most dangerous) routes in southern Ecuador.

This road connects Cuenca to the coast via the western Andes. If you've driven it, you know: it's stunning, terrifying, and in rough shape. Landslides close it regularly during rainy season. Just this month, Chaucha communities were cut off by storms in the same area.

What the contract covers: Road improvements and complementary works. Specific details (widening, guardrails, drainage) haven't been fully published yet, but any investment in this route is welcome news for anyone who drives to the coast.

Monay-IESS Traffic Distributor

Noboa toured the Monay-IESS traffic distributor (intercambiador vial) — a major interchange project that's been under construction on Cuenca's east side.

The numbers:

• Investment: $43.3 million
• Current progress: 25% complete
• Location: Monay sector, near the IESS hospital

If you drive in the Monay area, you've seen the construction. This interchange is designed to untangle one of Cuenca's worst traffic bottlenecks — the intersection near the IESS hospital where traffic from the Cuenca-Azogues highway, the Autopista, and local streets all converge.

When finished, this should significantly reduce commute times for anyone coming from Azogues, Gualaceo, or the eastern suburbs.

$23 Million in Cooperative Credits

Noboa also formalized the delivery of over $23 million in productive credits to savings and credit cooperatives through Conafips (the National Corporation for Popular and Solidarity Finance).

This money flows through local cooperatives — like Jardín Azuayo, JEP, and similar institutions — as business loans for small and medium enterprises. It's a direct injection of lending capital into Cuenca's local economy.

The Big Picture

Noboa's visit happened on a politically charged day — the same week as the Zamora raid and while the National Assembly was in session here. Whether the timing was strategic or coincidental, the president's message was clear: the central government is investing in Cuenca.

For expats, the practical takeaways are:

• The Molleturo road should improve over time (though construction itself may cause temporary delays)
• The Monay interchange will eventually ease east-side traffic
• Housing supply is growing through subsidized programs
• Local lending is getting a boost through cooperative credits

All of these are incremental improvements, not overnight transformations. But they're the kind of steady investment that makes a city more livable over time.

Sources: El Mercurio, El Diario