Plans to introduce VAT to free-trade zone companies are proving controversial in Costa Rica.

US drinks giant Coca-Cola is moving production to north-western Costa Rica, boosting a government plan to develop areas away from the capital.

Costa Rica has transformed its economy from one based around agriculture to a much more diverse offering. However, the challenges presented by Industry 4.0, and the  automation of jobs that will come with it, pose a whole new set of questions for the country, as Jacopo Dettoni reports. 

After a tight electoral battle, Carlos Alvarado emerged victorious in Costa Rica’s 2018 presidential elections. As he assumes office, he tells Jacopo Dettoni how he is planning to fix the country’s employment and fiscal issues. 

Jorge Sequeira, managing director of the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency, CINDE, spoke to Courtney Fingar about its strategy of concentrating on the business and IT sectors, developing life sciences and manufacturing, and cooperating with businesses to ensure it can offer them the right skills.

Costa Rica is enjoying a reputation for sustainability, low inflation and robust economic growth. But president Luis Guillermo Solís tells Natasha Turak he is committed to improving education and opportunities for his citizens before stepping down in 2018. 

The expansion of neighbouring Panama's canal will boost business in Costa Rica and shore up the development of the Caribbean basin as an integrated trade hub, Costa Rica president Luis Guillermo Solís tells Jacopo Dettoni.

For FDI projects to have a positive impact on a region, the investing company may need to connect with local supply chains, something that, as Michal Kaczmarski finds out, economic developers are well placed to help with.