The President's Activities

From left, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela and JICA President Shinichi Kitaoka

JICA President Shinichi Kitaoka met with Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela in Tokyo on April 20.

Mr. Kitaoka began the talks by welcoming Mr. Varela to Japan and said that the Panama Canal Expansion Project, under which a third set of locks is about to become operational, is an extremely important and historic development.

In response, Mr. Varela expressed thanks for JICA's cooperation with Panama so far and for its assistance via Japanese ODA loans for the Panama Metropolitan Area Urban Transportation Line-3 Development Project. He also said that he expects urban transport to be improved through the project, which the people of Panama have been eagerly awaiting. He also mentioned cooperation to implement a wastewater treatment project in western Panama City.

Mr. Kitaoka responded that with regard to wastewater treatment project, experience gained through the currently underway Panama Metropolitan Area Wastewater Management Improvement Project (*) can be put to work, and based on that, he would like to discuss with Panama improving basic sanitation in the western part of the city.

Mr. Varela finished by expressing gratitude once again for JICA's assistance under the Panama Metropolitan Area Urban Transportation Line-3 Development Project.

JICA plans to continue providing cooperation to contribute to the sustainable economic development of Panama.

(*) In November 2015, it was certified as the first CDM project in Panama.