Omar Sweeney Passionate About Jamaica

Omar Sweeney is passionate about Jamaica and the development of the country.

The engineering professional, who commenced his career in the United States (US) where he also studied, tells JIS News that Jamaica was where he wanted to apply his skills in “serving my fellow citizens”.

He has been able to do so as Managing Director of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), which is charged with implementing major investment projects to improve the socio-economic welfare of Jamaicans, particularly persons in vulnerable communities.

These include building, upgrading and repairing schools, hospitals, road infrastructure, water systems, community spaces, among others.

The projects are executed through significant resources provided by the Government of Jamaica, the World Bank, the European Union (EU), and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

It is an awesome responsibility and one that Mr. Sweeney readily takes on in his commitment to the country’s development.

With a wealth of more than two decades of experience in civil and construction engineering and project management, Mr. Sweeney tells JIS News that “being able to apply what I know to bring about impactful change really drives me”.

“Being able to see people do better, children having better learning outcomes and people feeling safer and having access to potable water, all the things that we are working on [motivates] me.

“I have an image of Jamaica where everyone has an opportunity to live their best life. That is what I work for and that is what really drives me,” he adds.

On his return to Jamaica in 2003, Mr. Sweeney worked in the public and private sectors, serving in senior leadership roles at the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) before being appointed to head JSIF.

He also serves on several boards, including the Professional Engineers Registration Board (PERB) where he was chairman May 2018 to May 2020.

He is also a distinguished Member of the Jamaica Institution of Engineers (JIE) having previously served in the capacity as President.

In addition, he is Deputy Chairman for the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) social intervention committee that is charged with carrying out measures to promote the social and economic development of the areas.

Mr. Sweeney tells JIS News that he is proud of JSIF’s work in transforming communities through various projects and programmes.

He says that the entity ensures that residents are a key part of the transformation process.

“One of the things that is important to me is accountability, and whenever we enter a community, we talk about what we are going to do. We want to ensure that when we go back to the community, we can be held accountable. I feel proud of our record and we normally receive positive reactions,” he notes.

On National Heroes Day, October 17, Mr. Sweeney was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander (CD), for contribution to Public Service.

He was among more than 200 Jamaicans recognised for outstanding contribution to national development.

Mr. Sweeney tells JIS News that he is honoured to be recognised by his country.

He says he shares the award with his dedicated team at JSIF, which includes economists, quantity surveyors, engineers, architects and financial specialists, who “stand behind what we represent”.

“I believe that over the years, we have tried to ensure that our team is cohesive and harmonious and delivers quality service to communities,” he tells JIS News.

Mr. Sweeney is also grateful for the “tremendous support” from his family, noting that without their backing he would not be able to “give this type of public service”.

The public servant says being able to impact people’s lives positively and to find solutions to issues affecting communities, motivates him and the JSIF team.

“So, I really want to thank all the communities that have really helped us to be successful. We are successful when communities do well, and so I really want to recognise those communities that have kept their part of the bargain in seeing to it that the investments that have been made in them actually redound to a positive result,” he says.

Mr. Sweeney has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Engineering from the University of Florida. He is a recipient of the Martin Luther King Scholarship.

He has also completed postgraduate executive training programmes at the London School of Economics, University of London.

JSIF is charged with mobilising and channelling resources into community-based socio-economic infrastructure and social services projects.

Through a national partnership between central and local government, private and public organisations, the JSIF addresses immediate demands of communities in a manner, that is quick, efficient, effective, transparent, and non-partisan.