Manuel Noriega could hardly have recognized the Panama he left 22 years ago

When the former military dictator Manuel Noriega returned recently, Panama was almost unrecognisable compared with the country that he last saw it 22 years ago.

Today, the country is determined to become the region’s logistics hub and banking centre. Its construction-driven economy is more than five times the size it was in the late 1980s.

After growing 3.9 per cent in 2009 during the global recession, this year the central American country of 3.5 million is expected to expand by an Asian-style 8.4 per cent. Meanwhile, foreign direct investment could hit $2.8 billion or almost 10 per cent of gross domestic product.

Original source: Financial Times