September 3, 2021
As a hub for innovative financial services and logistics, Panama can help lead Latin America and the Caribbean’s post-pandemic rebound. President Claver-Carone made his first official visit to the country this month, meeting with President Laurentino Cortizo, government ministers, business leaders, and some of the IDB’s youngest beneficiaries to advance our partnership on critical goals of the Bank’s “Vision 2025” for recovery and growth, including vaccine access, private-sector activation, and digital transformation.
Alongside a stop in Panama City’s historic quarter to view IDB-financed urban-revitalization projects, the president visited one of a dozen early-childhood care centers in the country that the Bank has modernized and equipped to help bridge the development gap. During the trip, the IDB approved a project to fully finance Panama’s contracts with the COVAX Facility and the AstraZeneca laboratory, helping to protect the lives of an estimated 1 million Panamanians. A second newly approved project will help 11,000 farmers in the country increase output and boost resilience to climate change.