UN calls for more electricity in Panama rural areas

THE UN   has urged Panama to expand access to electricity in rural areas of the country as its lack has restricted access to technology, a factor that keeps the areas from developing.

This was the conclusion of a report on Panama by the United Nations Program for Development (UNDP), which stated that the technology gap is greater than the one in basic services.

The report states that in the Comarca Emberá Wounaan, 70 percent of the population has access to health care, while 90 percent of the residents of Guna Yala have electricity.

But in the case of technology, there is not nearly the level of coverage. For example, less than 50 percent of areas have access to cell phones. In terms of access to the internet, the coverage is between 10 percent and 20 percent.

Data from the International Union of Telecommunications (ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations, said Panama lags behind its neighbors in this respect. While about half the country has access to the internet in Panama, the number is 83.7 percent in Costa Rica and 58 percent in Colombia.

The UN said that Panama needs to focus on expanding its electricity coverage, and this will allow it to then expand access to technology.

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