The administration of Panamá Pacífico stated that Panamá Pacífico is the best value option; companies can be assured that we are committed to the area and 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.
"The attraction of these companies promotes a whole series of auxiliary activities that would generate jobs for all of us here in West Panama, and that is what we want to attract," he stated in an interview with Panamá América.
He mentioned that this strategy will add greater value to Panamanian soil, promoting the insertion of a significant number of people into the labor market, mainly residents of the West Panama province, as the logistics issue requires greater movement.
"An initiative that, according to Javier Suárez Pinzón, administrator of the Panamá Pacífico Agency (APP), 'fits perfectly' with the characteristics of the place that offers attractive incentives for electrical companies, high-level warehouses that can be used for assembly, packaging, and product testing work, and an airport for transport to its final destination."
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 housing, but its capacity is greater; therefore, they will promote these advantages to the market starting in 2026.
However, he acknowledged that one of his pending tasks is to promote the integration of the technical sector in preparing young people so that they can acquire the necessary knowledge for the industry 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.
The attraction of investments and generation of new job positions will be one of the main objectives of the Panamá Pacífico special economic area during the coming year; its strategic development will focus on boosting the manufacturing sector, facilitating the transformation of raw materials and execution of the national semiconductor plan led by the National Secretariat of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Senacyt).
In this sense, it will propose to the Specialized Higher Technical Institute (ITSE) the possibility of building an agency within the economic zone for the benefit of the communities of Arraiján, Veracruz, and La Chorrera.
Additionally, 28 new companies from different sectors have been attracted, and 23 are in the process of being processed, so it is expected that the number of installed businesses will increase by the end of the year.
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 housing units delivered.
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 installed in the area and who have been addressing this 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).
