CAF and the Chamber of Commerce of Chiriqui signed agreement to promote and increase competitiveness in the province of Chiriqui

With the purpose of boosting and promoting the socio-economic development of Chiriqui and the country's Western region, CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, and the Chamber of Commerce of Chiriqui  subscribed a cooperation agreement to promote the productive sectors of the province by strengthening competitiveness and the consolidation of a long term sustainable development. 

The agreement will enable the creation of the Competitiveness Center of Chiriqui and the Western Region (CECOMCHI, for its acronym in Spanish), as a mechanism for the follow-up and continuous review of the proposals of the Development Plan included in the provincial strategy called Vision Chiriqui 2025 (Chiriqui Vision 20259, which goes hand in hand with the Vision Pais 2025 (Country Vision 2025). 

Abdel Torres, President of the Chiriqui Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Agriculture, stated that the signature of the agreement with CAF constitutes an opportunity that opens the doors to sustainable socio-economic development in the province; in addition, he expressed that the Chiriqui Competitiveness Center was a dream come true for the people of Chiriqui as it will allow the monitoring of the portfolio of projects previously agreed upon, prioritized, and presented to CAF and the National Government with its respective list of objectives and goals to meet in coming years. 

At the same time, Susana Pinilla, CAF's Director Representative in Panama stated, "signing this agreement with the CAMCHI, leads to important actions that will enable Chiriqui to develop its economic potential as a result of the management of the Competitiveness Center of Chiriqui and the Western Region, the development of a diagnostic study for the identification of the production capacity and productivity of the agricultural and tourism sectors, and the formalization of the agreement between the Center and the main actors of the region of Chiriqui".

In addition, Felipe Ariel Rodriguez, of the Asociacion Panameña de Ejecutivos de Empresa (APEDE)(Panamenian Association of Enterprise Executives), Chiriqui Chapter, expressed that the creation of CECOMCHI is a response to the needs of the province to coordinate the economic sectors with a high potential, such as agriculture, agro-industrial, tourism, and education, and to promote a more coordinated and autonomous work aimed at the long term. He also stated that CECOMCHI will be incorporated to the society of Chiriqui, will promote a continuous dialogue with the National and Local Governments, and will carry out a follow up of the execution of priority public policies to promote synergies with organizations that contribute to development. 

The Province of Chiriqui in Panama represents an action axis that is very important in the country's development plan. Currently, CAF develops several activities in the region in order to promote the strengthening and growth of the chains that produce goods and services, framed in a context of adequate public policies.