JAMPRO Rolls Out ‘Export Max IV’ in September

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) has announced that plans are in place for the fourth instalment of its flagship export development programme, ‘Export Max IV’, to begin in September 2023.

The programme is geared towards developing a cluster of export-ready companies by enabling them to be competitively positioned to take advantage of international market opportunities and increase export earnings.

JAMPRO’s Interim Vice President of Exports, Shane Angus, told JIS News that Export Max III is now in its final phases, with plans far advanced for Export Max IV to begin in September.

“For Export Max IV, we have started it. The first phase is to get a consultant to do the intake management and they will develop a framework, after which we will send out a call for companies,” he said.

Applications from companies interested in being a part of Cohort 4 will be accepted by JAMPRO from September through November.

In order to be eligible for participation in the programme, companies must be formally registered with the Companies Office of Jamaica, with majority Jamaican ownership; have been in operation for at least six months; have an export-ready product; demonstrate the ability to have significant economic impact on employment and export earning; and complete and submit expressions of interest documents, among other things.

Mr. Angus pointed out that the programme “is designed to identify companies who we believe have the potential to export or are already exporting, and we work with them to understand their gaps and their limitations and put them through the programme”.

Once those gaps and limitations are identified, “We will help them to understand the gaps, fill those gaps and build up their capacity to understand the market, so they can be more impactful,” he added.

The programme, he pointed out, can run from anywhere between 18 months and two years.

While the Corporation is working to complete Cohort 3, interested companies are being encouraged to ready themselves to take advantage of the many benefits that will be offered in the fourth phase.

Export Max IV will build on the success of Export Max I, II and III, which were launched in 2011, 2014 and 2019, respectively. To date, the programme has benefited 80 companies, which received capacity-building and export promotion support.