All Countries and All Sectors

Despite a number of setbacks, Panama’s health care sector has seen significant advancement in recent years. The former administration of Ricardo Martinelli oversaw a period of significant infrastructure expansion, and the country is closer than ever to achieving universal coverage. Elected in May 2014, the current government of Juan Carlos Varela has stated its...

A shortage of skilled workers remains one of the most commonly voiced concerns of business professionals in Panama. The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) “Competitiveness Report 2014-15” lists an inadequately educated workforce as the second-most problematic factor in doing business in the country. With the skills shortage having an impact on the labour market, authorities...

Despite notable achievements in the past decade, including reaching universal coverage at primary level, Panama’s education sector continues to face a number of challenges. Curricular reform introduced in 2010 has increased pertinence and retention rates. At the tertiary level, the strengthening of the accreditation process for universities has also brought about...

On July 29, 2014, soon after assuming office, the government of Juan Carlos Varela unveiled a multimillion-dollar plan to revive the agricultural sector at the National Agriculture Institute (Instituto Nacional de Agricultura, INA). The plan, known as pacto nacional por el agro, or the national pact for agriculture, proposes 10...

Agricultural development in Panama has historically been hampered by a series of structural issues, including fragmented ownership of land, limited access to financing and deficient transport infrastructure, although efforts are now under way to change this. Former President Ricardo Martinelli – who was in office from 2009 to 2014 – designated agriculture as one of the...