On May 26, 2023, Law 379 was enacted, which established the institutional autonomy of the National Secretariat of Policies and Development for Afropanamanians -SENADAP-, providing it with its own legal regime. Since then, a series of processes in public administration have been activated with the participation of various institutions such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, and the Social Security Fund, with the aim of faithfully fulfilling what is established in this law.
However, the Panama Afro Observatory indicates that a particular state institution has been hindering progress toward the institutional establishment of SENADAP: the Ministry of Social Development. In light of this situation, the minister of that entity has been sued in the Supreme Court of Justice. The director general of SENADAP has presented a report to the Minister of the Presidency and has a meeting scheduled with him soon.
In this context, it has been reported that Mides continues to obstruct the institutionalization of SENADAP, which has generated tensions and conflicts in the process of consolidating this secretariat. Efforts to provide autonomy to this institution have been hindered by the lack of cooperation from certain governmental entities, which has raised concerns in various sectors of Panamanian society.
In summary, despite the progress made since the approval of Law 379, SENADAP still faces obstacles to its full establishment as an autonomous entity, which has triggered legal actions and an atmosphere of tension in the Panamanian government.
