Business Aftercare Services For SEZ Operators
By: , February 17, 2020The Key Point:
Photo: Adrian Walker
Senior Director, Regulations, Policy, Enforcement and Monitoring, Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA), Ainsley Brown (left), explains the importance of monitoring special economic zones (SEZs) during a recent sensitisation session, held at the Spanish Court Hotel, in Kingston. At right Senior Director, Business Partner Support Services, JSEZA, Licia Grant.The Facts
- Senior Director for Business Partner Support Services, Licia Grant, said that the initiative was born out of the JSEZA business acceleration centre and is aimed at providing entities with the necessary support to grow.
- She said that queries and complaints are addressed and guidelines provided on operations of SEZs.
The Full Story
The Jamaica Special Economic Zones Authority (JSEZA) is providing business aftercare services for entities operating in special economic zones (SEZ).
Senior Director for Business Partner Support Services, Licia Grant, said that the initiative was born out of the JSEZA business acceleration centre and is aimed at providing entities with the necessary support to grow.
She said that queries and complaints are addressed and guidelines provided on operations of SEZs.
“Our business aftercare aims to understand what it is that SEZ operators require and provide them with support on time,” she noted.
“We have established that it is important to form long-term partnerships with our SEZ entities and the business aftercare services facilitate this. We also welcome suggestions on how we can improve our functions,” Ms. Grant added.
She was speaking at a recent sensitisation session for SEZ developers and operators at the Spanish Court Hotel, New Kingston.
Ms. Grant said that the support provided is expected to ignite investment by speeding up the approvals process.
“One of the ways we foresee the aftercare services working is through the provision of pre-approved kits for companies at the pre-application stage. This (kit) would include concept plans, ready sites for foreign investors and information packages from other regulatory bodies,” she explained.
“We want more persons to enjoy operating within the SEZs as it is a lucrative area, which can result in economic growth and development for Jamaica. We aim to provide expedited service permits and we have started doing this for some operators,” Ms Grant added.
She noted further that “we will utilise specialised aftercare service agents as a direct point of contact to aid operators with renewing their operating certificates. We also intend to forge partnerships with local financial institutions so that funding is available for entities, which require expansion within the SEZ regime.”
Ms. Grant said that the initiative will also enable the JSEZA to collect data on the success of SEZ for Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).