Representatives from Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Zimbabwe shared experiences on cooperative housing models in Panama, during an international meeting that sought to identify which conditions favor the growth of that system and which obstacles hinder it.
The exchange took place at the Annual Conference of Cooperative Housing International (CHI), a sectoral organization of the International Cooperative Alliance, which brought together figures from the global cooperative movement in the country under the slogan "Advancing cooperative housing: connecting practices, communities, and cooperation."
Panama's housing deficit requires combined responses from the public sector, banking, the private sector, and the cooperative movement.
The aim is for the latter to gain increasing weight as an alternative in the face of families' difficulties in accessing traditional credit mechanisms, one of the four essential elements for buying a home.
The Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning (Miviot), Jaime A. Jované C., participated in the conference and emphasized the need to diversify the paths to home ownership.
He explained that the country's housing policy has focused on strengthening financing instruments, including the preferential interest law and the transfer tax for new homes, among others, mechanisms aimed at reducing the acquisition cost for buyers.
The official…
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In Panama, few cooperatives offer housing financing. (Miviot) Representatives from Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Zimbabwe shared experiences in Panama on cooperative housing models, during an international meeting that sought to identify which conditions favor the growth of that system and which obstacles slow it down. The exchange took place at the Annual Conference of Cooperative Housing International (CHI), a sectoral organization of the International Cooperative Alliance, which brought together leaders of the global cooperative movement in the country under the theme "Advancing cooperative housing: connecting practices, communities, and cooperation."
Panama's housing deficit requires combined responses from the public sector, banking, the private sector, and the cooperative movement. The aim is for the latter to gain increasing weight as an alternative in the face of families' difficulties in accessing traditional credit mechanisms, one of the four essential elements for buying a home.
The Minister of Housing and Territorial Planning (Miviot), Jaime A. Jované C., participated in the conference and emphasized the need to diversify the paths to homeownership. The Minister of Housing and Territorial Planning (Miviot), Jaime A. Jované C., emphasized the need to diversify the paths to homeownership. (Presidency)
He explained that the country's housing policy has focused on strengthening financing instruments, including the preferential interest law and the transfer tax for new homes, among others, mechanisms aimed at reducing acquisition costs for buyers. The official considered that cooperative housing still has ample room for development in Panama. "These experiences have taught us that no single model solves the problem on its own," he stated.
The minister also highlighted the value of learning from other countries. "That mutual learning is exactly what Panama needs right now in our housing policy. We are truly connecting with all continents, making an effort to share experiences and address the housing deficit," he expressed.
Jované indicated that the ministry continues to bring housing solutions to historically underserved areas, from the province of Bocas del Toro and the Ngäbe Buglé indigenous territory to Darién and the Guna Yala and Emberá territories. A miniature model house and a percentage sign symbolize the impact of interest rates on property purchase decisions, with a person signing important documents in the background. (Illustrative image Infobae)
He reiterated the willingness of the entity he leads to continue working alongside the Panamanian Autonomous Cooperative Institute (Ipacoop), the state agency responsible for promoting, supervising, and directing the cooperative movement in the country, as well as the Housing Savings Fund (Fondhabi) and the international cooperative movement. "So that cooperative housing ceases to be an aspiration and becomes a concrete tool within the Panamanian housing ecosystem," he emphasized regarding the goal of that collaboration.
Antonio Boyd, director of Fondhabi, explained that the international exchange will provide new ideas to improve services aimed at Panamanian families seeking to access housing through cooperatives. Meanwhile, Boris Allara, executive deputy director of Ipacoop, noted that one of the institution's priorities was to review the functioning of Fondhabi. The goal is to provide information on the most stable cooperatives to support fund distribution. Keys to a new home rest on a wooden table in an empty interior space, with a keychain that reads "Mi Nuevo Hogar" (My New Home). (Illustrative image Infobae)
Meanwhile, the ministry recently began the training phase of the Social Development Assistance Program (Pades), within an institutional modernization process called "Digitizing Social Management and the Records of the Programs of the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning." The National Director of Social Development, Guillermo Leblanc, highlighted that the system will allow progress in digitizing records, optimize the registration and management of information, streamline administrative processes, and improve the follow-up of cases handled by that directorate throughout the country.
Leblanc stated that, during this phase, work teams from the various regional offices will receive training on the operation and use of the platform. The goal, he maintained, is to ensure uniform implementation nationwide.