Gov’t Creating New Economy of St. Thomas

A new economy of St. Thomas is steadily being developed by the Government, with several major projects underway to transform the Eastern parish into a mecca of social and economic progress.

In addition to the multi-billion-dollar Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project, which will soon be called the Right Excellent Paul Bogle Highway, in recognition of the significant contribution of the National Hero to the parish and Jamaica, St. Thomas is on the cusp of boasting the revolutionary and first of its kind, Morant Bay Urban Centre.

Speaking during a recent tour of the facility, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said that this new economy of St. Thomas will not merely be a business economy.

“We’re not going to create a secluded zone where the people are excluded from it. This is about creating an atmosphere where every Jamaican and everybody from St. Thomas can come and do business, can live and raise their families, (and) can earn an income. That is what we are building here without having to contend with overcrowded streets (and) congestion,” he noted.
He said that the development, which is scheduled to be completed by January 2025, sends a strong message to the rest of the world “that through our own resources, through our own initiative, through our own agency, we can build our parish and we can build our country. It’s about showing that we can be an economically independent people.”

Dr. Holness has given instruction to the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ), which is spearheading the project, to acquire 10 additional acres of land to build a micro business park at the Centre.

“It’s going to be something that you have never seen before,” said FCJ Chairman, Lyttleton Shirley.

“It’s going to have a farmers’ market, a farm supply and equipment store, sports bar and grill pavilion, 12 mini warehouses, and 30 micro business facilities to support small businesses such as shoemakers, locksmiths and hairdressers,” he informed.

“What we have been instructed by the Prime Minister to do is to help them [small businesses] in acquiring their equipment, roll it over into the rent over a longer period so that [they] can overcome that startup gap,” he added.

Turning to other features of the town centre development, Mr. Shirley said it will house “the most modern courthouse to be built in the Caribbean” with cutting edge facilities to protect the rights of the citizens.

There will also be two large greenhouses for farmers and four cold storage facilities “so that when the small farmers produce, whatever does not sell they will put it in cold storage to prevent spoilage”, he pointed out.

He also revealed that travel service providers, Knutsford Express, will be based at the centre, which is another first for the Eastern parish.

In addition, there will be a large Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) entity that will employ around 2000 to 3000 persons.

The parish’s new women’s centre will also be located at the urban centre. It will have, for the first time, a five-bedroom dormitory to accommodate teen mothers and their babies, Mr. Shirley said.

“They will be able to get on the educational programme, get back on track and right back where their lives will not be destroyed. That is the brainchild of our Prime Minister,” he noted.

Prime Minister Holness touted the Morant Bay Urban Centre as a “visual demonstration” of the change that is happening in Jamaica.

“Here, we are hoping to carry industries that will employ people from the communities. That will give you income in your pocket, that will make your household better,” he told the residents.
Noting that the massive project is “just the start”, Dr. Holness informed that the Government will also be building houses in the parish “because Kingston and Portmore can’t carry all the houses.”

“In less than an hour, you can reach Kingston from here. There are 150,000 housing solutions needed to fill the housing demand in Jamaica and all of that can’t be built in Kingston. Some of it has to be built right here so we’re going to push housing developments into St. Thomas,” he said.

“So, you’re going to see the parish grow and I want you to be a part of that growth (and) to be involved in it. Your children will be employed here, some of you will be employed here, you will be selling things to the businesses here,” the Prime Minister told residents.

He said there are also plans for the “charming town of Morant Bay”, which he says, “has a great deal of history that we have not tapped”. This includes bringing tourism into the area.

In addition to resorts, the Prime Minister said he envisions more community-based tourism projects where visitors rent rooms from locals while enjoying the parish.

All this, he said, will be possible based on the many promising features of St. Thomas namely “low crime, low violence, land available (and) such pleasant and hospitable people”.