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Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, says that Jamaica should focus on developing its services industry as this is currently the most promising area for economic growth. Addressing a breakfast forum at the Jamaica Exporters’ Association (JEA) headquarters in St. Andrew on November 15, Dr. Panitchpakdi noted that the services sector...

The City of Montego Bay is now home to the new Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ). The association will ensure the proper representation of operations in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)/Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, and promote and enhance investment in an industry, which has become a major employer. Speaking at the official launching ceremony on Friday...

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Hon. Anthony Hylton, says the Global Logistics Hub could add 17 per cent growth to Jamaica’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over six to eight years. The figures, Mr. Hylton said, were baseline estimates provided by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). The Minister was briefing senior journalists on the global logistics hub, at a breakfast...

State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, says the Government is working towards the development of an effective Services Growth and Expansion Plan, in an effort to further advance the services sector. Mrs. Ffolkes-Abrahams said the initiative forms an integral part of the Vision 2030 National Development Plan, which is also in support of...

State Minister for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes- Abrahams, has emphasised the importance of minimising bureaucracy and creating a favourable business environment for investors, in order to propel the economy forward. Mrs. Ffolkes-Abrahams explained that  a favourable business environment is critical, not only for attracting foreign direct investments, “but also essential for the development and sustainability of domestic...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, has endorsed the move to establish a National Statistical System (NSS), noting that it will, undoubtedly, support the government’s thrust towards data-driven and evidence-based policy making. Mr. Hylton said he hopes this model will also be replicated throughout the region with the eventual establishment of a regional statistical system, which would...

State Minister for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, says a Green Paper on the draft Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) and Entrepreneurial Policy could be tabled in Parliament as early as April. Speaking at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Department of Management Studies’ research symposium, entitled: ‘Managing Small Firms that have Gone Public', held at...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, has laid out an "integrated 10-point strategy" to be implemented in order to achieve the goals of Vision 2030, Jamaica’s National Development Plan. The plan was unveiled on Tuesday Feb. 28 at a media briefing at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices. Minister Hylton explained that the plan comes as the Ministry...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Arnaldo Brown, says it is critical that Jamaica begins to grasp opportunities to increase production and exports, even as the country is challenged to adapt to an ever changing trade environment. Mr. Brown, who was speaking at a Validation Workshop for the Review and Revision of Jamaica’s...

“Many of the top business persons that I have spoken to, now tell me that the environment for doing business in Jamaica has never been better,” Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Gladstone Hutchinson, told a Public Sector Monitoring Committee (PSMC) seminar on Tuesday September 6. "They say this is the best macro-economic environment they have...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC), Reginald Budhan, says the ministry has intensified its programme to get laboratories accredited, and business stakeholders certified with the International Standards Organization (ISO). This is to ensure that products being exported meet the stipulated standards of the countries for which they are intended, Mr. Budhan said. He was speaking...

State Minister for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Michael Stern, has welcomed the 'I am the Change' programme stating that it will help to develop an entrepreneurial culture among the nation’s youth. The initiative, which was launched on Wednesday, April 20 at the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) offices in New Kingston, is aimed at empowering and preparing selected secondary level...

Governments in the region have a critical role to play in providing an appropriate environment for the development and growth of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector, says Minster of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Michael Stern. "This is particularly important at this time when Governments throughout the Caribbean are increasingly recognising the significant...

Programme Director of the Planned Development Unit at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Mrs. Leila Palmer, has cited the need for structural and cultural changes within the public sector if that body is to play a relevant and meaningful role in positioning Jamaica as the place of choice to live and do business. Speaking at the Jamaica Customer Service...