What to know about the Country Strategy Meeting on Panama

On 21-22 October, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the Government of Panama, will convene a Country Strategy Meeting in Panama City, bringing together leaders in government and business to discuss the nation's growth and sustainable development path.

The meeting comes at a critical moment for dialogue on trade, infrastructure, the energy transition and regional collaboration to harness existing opportunities.

Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Panama has long served as a vital hub for international commerce and logistics. Its ports, free zones and digital networks link markets across the Americas and beyond.

This role is increasingly important as companies and governments seek to build more resilient supply chains amid geopolitical uncertainty, changing trade patterns and climate pressures. Panama is well-positioned to strengthen regional cooperation, support diversified trade routes and reinforce global value chains.

The country is also emerging as a platform for sustainable, inclusive growth, supported by its geographic position, economic and political stability, and global connectivity. Combining reliable infrastructure with an open, internationally connected economy, Panama is creating opportunities to attract investment and support long-term development.

Panama is advancing an infrastructure and investment agenda designed to strengthen its role as a regional and global hub. This includes plans to expand the Panama Canal’s reservoir capacity, helping secure the water resources essential to the canal’s long-term operation and climate resilience.

The development of an energy corridor, along with new ports and two new container terminals, could further strengthen the country’s capacity to connect trade, logistics and energy systems. These investments aim to improve efficiency, support supply-chain resilience and create new opportunities across sectors.

As the global economy adapts to changing patterns of production, consumption and energy demand, Panama’s infrastructure ambitions could help the country deepen its role in the movement of goods, services and investment. They also highlight the importance of coordinated action among governments, businesses and international partners in delivering sustainable infrastructure at scale.

The Country Strategy Meeting on Panama will convene senior leaders from government and business to explore three strategic priorities:

1. Energy and logistics: Explore the high-impact shifts needed to position the Panama Canal as a multi-energy hub driving economic growth, productivity, innovation and resilient, efficient supply chains.

2. Trade corridors: Discuss how ports and industrial ecosystems can reinforce Panama’s role as a global trade corridor.

3. Sustainability: Define priorities for embedding climate- and nature-positive outcomes, water security and plastics circularity into industrial development for long-term resilience and competitiveness.

Panama’s reform agenda will also be central to the dialogue. Starting with the 2027 fiscal year, recently adopted legislation aims to align the country with global tax-transparency standards advocated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union. Together with a dynamic private sector, these reforms could create new opportunities to strengthen investor confidence, accelerate innovation and build long-term economic resilience.

Panama’s accession to the South American trade bloc, Mercosur, marks an important step towards deeper regional integration. It opens new pathways to facilitate trade and investment, while strengthening links between Central America, South America and wider global markets.

At a time when countries are reassessing the resilience of their trade relationships and strategic dependencies, closer regional cooperation can help unlock investment, diversify supply chains and build new value-chain connections. Panama’s location, connectivity and economic openness position it to contribute to this agenda.

Bringing together leaders across sectors, the Country Strategy Meeting will advance dialogue on Panama’s ambition to reinforce its role as a gateway for trade, investment and cooperation – and as a strategic platform for resilient, sustainable and inclusive growth in an increasingly interconnected world.