‘We Need a New Philosophy for Conducting Business’…says PM Golding

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says if the country is to attract meaningful investments and business, it must do away with unnecessary bureaucracy, complicated ways of conducting business, and the use of discretion in a way that can lead to unfairness and corruption. He has called for a new philosophy to conducting business in Jamaica.
In opening the Jamaica Import/Export Inspection Centre-a One Stop Shop at the Kingston Container Terminal, Berth 11 at Port Bustamante yesterday morning (June 23), Mr. Golding said the problem of bureaucracy is not confined to the public sector but exists within the private sector as well. He added, “Investors are looking for places where they can make good returns on their investments; places that have an effective justice system, security, the financial systems to facilitate their business, trained workers and most importantly where they can conduct their business without getting grey hairs in the process”.
The Jamaica Import/Export Inspection centre (JI/EIC) is a new facility established by the government as part of its Public Sector Modernization Programme. It will provide a central location to coordinate inspection of traded goods, achieve quicker inspection processing time; keep pace with global trends in trade facilitation to boost trade competitiveness and attract investment. It will house under one roof, all the regulatory agencies having responsibility for human health and safety, animal health and plant health. The centre spans the operations of three Ministries: Agriculture and fisheries, Industry, Investment and Commerce and Health. All Ministers were in attendance at yesterday morning’s official opening ceremony.