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After a 19.9% drop in 2020 and a recovery in 2021 of 11.4% up to the third quarter, the Panamanian industrial sector calculates that this 2022 will grow by 7%, which represents an absolute contribution of $2 billion 4 million and the recovery of 10 thousand jobs. Luis Frauca, president of the Union of Industrialists of Panama stated that "Panama has a solid industry that is growing and becoming more rooted in the economy despite the adversities".

The risk rating agency Fitch Ratings affirmed this Friday, January 28, Panama's risk rating at BBB-, and revised the outlook from negative to stable. Panama, therefore, maintains its investment grade rating with the three major international rating agencies. The outlook revision reflects the improved fiscal position and a better-than-expected recovery from the initial impact of the pandemic. The agency notes that its fiscal expectations have improved and also confidence in the authorities' ability to successfully adjust the fiscal deficit.

The first vice-president and president of the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), Justice Olmedo Arrocha, stated that within the reforms that are being sought to the Civil Code of Panama, is the establishment of a ceiling in the procedural stages in the cases that are attended in this jurisdiction. He added that what is sought is that there be a "justice in reasonable time". He specifies that this is one of the components of the due process.

The Fortuna and Bayano hydroelectric plants, the only ones with reservoirs, have low water levels due to the scarce rainfall in the river basins that supply the reservoirs. This has forced to use the rest of the generators, including the thermal, natural gas, wind and solar plants.

The National Directorate of Pharmacy and Drugs of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) assures that the time to complete the documentary evaluation of a sanitary registration has been reduced to around 30 days, which also depends on the user delivering all the requirements set out in the regulations. Until now, this process could take up to a year and more, which is why the entity maintains continuous training for internal and external users.

The use of home tests to detect Covid-19; that companies and businesses apply swabs to their personnel; the reduction of the isolation time of infected persons from 10 to 5 days; and the elimination of quarantine for direct contacts who have not developed symptoms. These are some of the measures adopted by the Ministry of Health (Minsa) this Monday, January 24, and which were communicated through Executive Decree 5 of 2022, signed by President Laurentino Cortizo and Minister Luis Francisco Sucre.

The recovery of the global economy will continue in 2022, but the great rebound experienced last year will gradually lose steam as obstacles accumulate in the form of new waves of covid contagions, persistent inflation and the impact that rising interest rates in the United States may have on countries highly indebted in dollars, according to the Spanish newspaper El País.

The President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen affirmed that institutionalizing planning is the right thing to do, after creating through an Executive Decree, the Institute of Planning for Development, whose main mission is to design a macro plan that promotes indispensable transformations to achieve the inclusive and sustainable growth of the country.

The increase in homicide figures in the last year and the penetration of drug cartels in the activities of Panamanian society and even in State security agencies have generated concern in various sectors of the population. Just last week, the authorities announced what would be the criminological policy of the State, through a bill that aims not only to address this phenomenon, but also to rescue those who are at social risk.