Cabinet Approves Greater Bernard Lodge Privatisation Transaction Strategy

Cabinet has given approval for the Transaction Strategy and Implementation Phase for the privatisation of the Greater Bernard Lodge (GBL) Development Project Lands.

The objective of the privatisation is to attract private-sector investment to build out the GBL Development.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, made the disclosure while addressing Wednesday’s (October 6) virtual post-Cabinet press briefing.

She said that one or two blocks of the development will be allocated for low-income housing.

Turning to other matters coming out of Cabinet, Mrs. Williams said that approval was given for direct negotiations with the Coconut Industry Board for the sale of the commercial assets of the former Cocoa Industry Board.

An Enterprise Team will be appointed to guide the project development process for divestment of the commercial assets.

The team will consist of representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ).

Cabinet also gave consent for the establishment of an Open Data Policy to govern the access, use, reuse, adaptation, and distribution of government data in digital form.

Mrs. Williams said that the policy will act as a key tool in improving efficiency and transparency in the delivery of government services and to encourage private-sector-led innovation.

The policy position is premised on the results of an Open Data Readiness Assessment that was conducted by the World Bank in 2014.