Global Logistics Big Business – Minister Hylton

Industry, Investment, and Commerce Minister, Hon. Anthony Hylton, says global logistics is big business and Jamaica intends to play a significant role in the area.

He was speaking at a Business Leaders Power Breakfast on Monday (June 15), at the Hilton Rose Hall Hotel, Montego Bay, as part of the 6th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference.

Mr. Hylton noted that logistics “will connect Jamaica to the world and the world to Jamaica, in a changing environment and new approach to doing business”.

He said that logistics is a key area for investment, and local and international interest in the area is growing significantly. “In the Diaspora, the interest is there,” he pointed out.

Group Chief Executive Officer at GraceKennedy Limited, Don Wehby, who also addressed the breakfast, informed that the entity will be investing in the Logistics Hub, noting that the initiative will be “a game changer” when implemented.

He said GraceKennedy is also exploring possible investments in business process outsourcing, as well as the creative industry, tourism, and agro-processing sectors.

The breakfast was sponsored by the University College of the Caribbean (UCC), one of Jamaica leading private tertiary institutions, which offers a logistic training programme.

President and Executive Chairman of the UCC, Dr. Winston Adams, indicated that the institution has also branched out into businesses in renewable energy, financial services, real estate investment, and business and knowledge process outsourcing.

“We are also very excited about our signature project, which is the establishment of the first university town in the Caribbean, which will be launched and implemented in Trelawny in the middle of a major 1,300-unit new housing development that the UCC will be seeking to establish,” he told JIS News in an interview.

Dr. Adams said the goal is to attract international students in the areas of ‘edu-tourism’ as “we position Jamaica as a viable destination and as an attractive destination for attracting international students from across the globe.”

He said the college has also received expressions of interests from persons within the Diaspora.

“So, we are very happy about our participation in this conference as we seek to leverage the assets that we have and the opportunities that we have, to get the Diaspora to partner and invest with us, as we seek to build brand Jamaica,” he added.

Other speakers included UCC Diaspora Advisor, Dr. Geneive Metzger, and Jamaica Promotions (JAMPRO) Chairman, Milton Samuda, who chaired the proceedings.

In attendance were: Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator Hon. A. J. Nicholson, and State Minister, Hon Arnaldo Brown.

The Jamaica Diaspora Conference is being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre from June 13 to 18, under the theme: ‘Jamaica and the Diaspora: Linking for Growth and Prosperity’.