JAMPRO Launches Caribbean Business Portal

Caribbean Business Opportunity Service (CBOS), web-based portal designed to provide companies with the tools to compete for business opportunities resulting from the staging of major projects and events in the region, was launched today (Dec.13).
A partnership between Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and headline sponsor Cable and Wireless Jamaica, the online service, which matches buyers and suppliers, features business opportunity alerts, a supplier directory, business matching and support services, as well as newsletters and event business briefings.
Development Minister, Dr. Paul Robertson, who spoke at the launch held at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston, said CBOS would prepare the Caribbean business community to take advantage of the opportunities that would ensue from the region’s staging of World Cup Cricket 2007.
The Development Minister pointed out that the initiative provided an opportunity for buyers from across the globe to collaborate with suppliers in the Caribbean for mutual business benefits and would prove to be an advantageous tool to all suppliers of goods and services.
He noted that the National Development Corporation of St. Lucia had already signed on as a partner, and he anticipated that other countries would come on, especially those hosting events for the Cricket World Cup.
Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade State Minister, Senator Delano Franklyn, endorsed the initiative. He noted that while the portal would act as the central hub for major business, opportunities must also be created for small-scale vendors. He said that for CBOS to be really beneficial, the portal must remain in operation after the Cricket World Cup.
Meanwhile, President of Cable and Wireless Jamaica, Rodney Davis, said that the international cricket tournament would be the largest event ever staged in the region and would leave a legacy of business development in ensuing decades.
He assured that Cable and Wireless would use its technology to facilitate Jamaica’s efforts to maximize the business opportunities, which would arise from the staging of the event.
Mr. Davis said Cable and Wireless was committed to providing world-class telecommunications services and products to meet the needs of its customers in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean; the 50,000 visitors expected over the four weeks of the Cricket World Cup and the wider international community of at least 2 billion people, who were expected to view the event.
He said further, that CBOS would play a key role in driving the objectives of CARICOM and the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, by providing a critical portal for interface among the region’s buyers and suppliers, in addition to meeting the needs for all major projects and events within the region.
The event also saw the official signing of Courtney Walsh as JAMPRO’s Cricket Legacy Champion and the official signing of Cable and Wireless as the major sponsor of the CBOS initiative.
The 2007 Cricket World Cup will be hosted by the West Indies from March to April of 2007. Organizers expect more than 100,000 tourists to visit the region for the duration of the month-long tournament where 16 teams from across the world will compete in limited-over one-day matches for one of cricket’s most prestigious trophies. The games will be played at eight venues across the Caribbean.