Attracting investment and generating new jobs will be one of the main objectives of the Panamá Pacífico special economic area for the upcoming year. Its strategic development will focus on boosting the manufacturing sector, facilitating the transformation of raw materials and executing the national semiconductor plan led by the National Secretariat of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Senacyt).
According to Javier Suárez Pinzón, administrator of the Panamá Pacífico Agency (APP), this initiative “fits perfectly” with the characteristics of the location, which offers attractive incentives for companies, including high-level warehouses that can be used for product assembly, packaging, and testing, and an airport for transportation to its final destination.
He mentioned that this strategy will add greater value to Panamanian soil, promoting the inclusion of a significant number of people into the labor market, mainly residents of the Panamá Oeste province, as the logistics aspect requires greater movement.
“The attraction of these companies promotes a whole series of auxiliary activities that would generate jobs for all of us here in Panamá Oeste, and that is what we want to attract,” he stated in an interview with Panamá América.
These actions, according to the APP administrator, require greater preparation of the local workforce in the English language, a persistent weakness among those who wish to work in the companies established in the area, which has been addressed with the support of other entities such as the National Institute for Professional Training and Human Development (Inadeh) and the Technological University of Panama (UTP).
However, he recognized that one of his pending tasks is to promote the integration of the technical sector in the training of young people so that they can acquire the necessary industry knowledge in a short period of time.
“What we lack is to integrate the technical sector, for people to study for two years and graduate with the necessary preparation for this type of employment, not requiring a long-term bachelor's degree,” he explained.
In this sense, he will propose to the Higher Specialized Technical Institute (ITSE) the possibility of establishing a campus within the economic zone for the benefit of the communities of Arraiján, Veracruz, and La Chorrera.
Suárez Pinzón detailed that to date, there are 410 active companies on the site, generating 10,000 permanent jobs, 50 commercial establishments, 8 educational centers, 4 government headquarters, and 2,500 delivered homes.
Furthermore, 28 new companies from different sectors have been attracted, and 23 are in the process of being approved, so it is expected that the number of established businesses will increase by the end of the year.
The administration of this space is a shared responsibility between the public and private sectors, represented by the APP and the company London & Regional Panamá, in charge of developing 1,400 hectares of land, of which it has used 40% in the construction of warehouses, offices, and homes, but its capacity is greater; therefore, they will promote these advantages to the market starting in 2026.
“Panamá Pacífico is the best value option; companies can be sure that we are committed to the area and they have a master developer that, in the years it has been here, has exceeded the investment amounts it was required to make,” asserted the administrator.
