•⁠  ⁠The president urged businessmen, teachers, students and officials to work together in the technological transformation of the country.

•⁠  ⁠The objective of this government initiative is to promote the development of the country through the adoption of artificial intelligence, and participation in the supply chain of semiconductors and microelectronics.

The National Government launched the National Agenda for Advanced Technologies, a State initiative designed to respond to national and global challenges through science, technology and innovation as a commitment to a knowledge-based economy.

“With the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the National Microelectronics and Semiconductors Strategy, the Panamanian State declares, at the highest level, that the technologies that are transforming the world will be part of the future of this nation,” declared the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, when leading the presentation of the national initiative.

The president highlighted that both strategies have concrete facts, such as the recently created National Commission for Critical and Emerging Technologies and its Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee, which bring together the State, academia and the productive sector at the same table, under the technical coordination of Senacyt.

The National Agenda for Advanced Technologies arises as a government initiative given that artificial intelligence, microelectronics and semiconductors have become fundamental pillars of the global economy, promoting sectors such as logistics, health, finance, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy, agriculture and science, among others.

The agenda integrates the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the National Semiconductors and Microelectronics Strategy, two instruments that seek to position the country in technological industries that will define competitiveness and economic growth during the coming decades.

Along the same lines, the National Assembly discusses the adaptive governance bill for artificial intelligence, which will give Panama a modern legal framework, based on risks and experimentation, that protects the rights of the citizen and gives certainty to investment.

Furthermore, these strategies agree that the main asset to build an economy based on technological innovation is human talent; For this reason, specialized technical training programs, applied research and alliances with world-renowned universities and centers of excellence are being developed.

"We are offering 10 thousand scholarships in Talent Up Panama, in alliance with Google, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Technological University of Panama, for training in artificial intelligence, data analysis, cloud computing and cybersecurity," explained the president. The scholarships are now available through Panama Conecta.

Mulino also noted that Panama recently joined Pax Silica, the alliance led by the United States to secure the supply chains of artificial intelligence and semiconductors, along with advanced economies such as Japan, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union, among others.

Likewise, he announced that Drake University will open a degree in Data Analytics in the City of Knowledge, aligned with the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, to train the talent that this new economy demands in Panama. “And we are going to work together, so that more universities from the United States and Europe can join in promoting the Panamanian University Hub,” he stressed.

"In semiconductors and microelectronics, our management has allocated 105 million dollars to the execution of this national strategy. We have an Advanced Semiconductor Technology Center that operates at the Technological University of Panama, and young Panamanians are currently pursuing master's degrees and doctorates in Arizona, with scholarships from Senacyt, to return to build this industry in their own country," he stated.

And in terms of digital infrastructure, the president highlighted that Panama is consolidating itself as a mooring point for submarine cables and as a headquarters for data centers.

With the scenario and the objective set, Mulino sent a message to all productive sectors to focus their efforts on the upcoming transformation, for the benefit of the country.

"I call on businessmen to invest, to adopt these tools in their operations and to train their workers, because each company that modernizes strengthens the entire country," he expressed. "I call on universities and teachers to train the generation that will master these technologies, from primary school to doctorate; to our young people, to prepare and take advantage of every scholarship, every course and every program that this national effort makes available to them," he added.

And to the country's public servants, the president urged them to use these tools to serve better, with "simpler procedures, faster services, a State closer to the people."

For his part, Dr. Eduardo Ortega Barría, Secretary General of Senacyt, highlighted that Panama has competitive advantages that allow it to assume a strategic role in this new global scenario, including its privileged geographical position, its world-class logistics platform, its international connectivity, its economic stability, its dollarized economy and an energy matrix with a significant participation of renewable sources.

"Senacyt's mission is to convert science, technology and innovation into tools of national transformation. The strategies that we present today are the most ambitious expression of that mission, and both were built with technical rigor and national scope," said Ortega Barría.

During this ceremony, Adolfo Fábrega, General Administrator of the National Authority for Government Innovation, and the United States ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, participated.

In addition, there were presentations by international representatives of the semiconductor industry, such as John Neuffer, president and CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association; Sandra Watson, CEO of Arizona Commerce Authority; and Keith Strier, senior VP of the multinational Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), in charge of the keynote, among others.

Representatives from the academic, business and government sectors attended, as well as high-level international guests from multilateral organizations, universities, research centers and technology companies.

Artificial intelligence for national developmentPanama's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy establishes the vision of turning the country into the “Reliable Hub of Innovation in Artificial Intelligence in Latin America”, taking advantage of its strengths in connectivity, global services and institutional stability.

The strategy recognizes artificial intelligence as one of the main drivers of economic growth of the 21st century and proposes its adoption as a tool to improve the productivity, competitiveness and quality of life of the population. This strategy is available at: www.iapanama.gob.pa

The strategy is based on six pillars: digital and physical infrastructure; training of human talent; data governance, security and cybersecurity; AI ethics and governance; attraction of investments and international alliances; and application of artificial intelligence in strategic sectors of the Panamanian economy.

Artificial intelligence represents an opportunity for Panama to increase its productivity, strengthen its competitiveness and enter a new stage of inclusive prosperity.

AI could contribute between $1.1 and $1.7 trillion in annual value to Latin America by 2030 and increase annual regional productivity growth between 1.9% and 2.3%. This strategy seeks to make Panama not only a user of artificial intelligence, but also a regional protagonist in its responsible, safe and productive adoption.

Among its objectives are the strengthening of the national computing infrastructure, connectivity to support the development and use of artificial intelligence solutions, the development of national capabilities in artificial intelligence from primary education to the advanced training of researchers and specialists; the ethical, safe and responsible use of AI through governance frameworks aligned with international standards; the creation of technological startups; the application of AI to enhance key sectors, among others.