Jamaica’s next chapter – Jamaica Observer

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Prime Minister Andrew Holness outlines the Government's growth strategy at Jamaica House on Tuesday afternoon (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Tuesday opened what he termed the next chapter of Jamaica’s economic transformation by outlining six key pillars of the Government’s growth strategy that, he said, will “move beyond plans and policies and deliver tangible results for the Jamaican people”.

Against the backdrop of a digital display driving home his message that the Administration is set on pivoting to inclusive growth, Holness told guests at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Andrew, and Jamaicans listening and watching a live stream of his policy statement that the time for talk had passed and it is now time for action.

“As we move to the next chapter of our development journey we must now come together and forge a new national consensus on economic growth, just as we united around debt reduction and stabilisation,” Holness said.

“It is time for us to set ambitious goals, to think big, and to focus on policies that will enable Jamaica to realise our immense potential as a nation,” he added.

He listed the key pillars of the growth strategy as: Human capital development; diversification of the country’s economic base and development of new industries; infrastructure development; improving the ease, cost and speed of doing business; security; and inclusive growth which, he said, is in keeping with the Jamaica Social Protection Strategy, 2014, which established the provision of support to the most vulnerable groups in the society.

Holness explained that under the human capital development pillar the Government will invest heavily in preparing Jamaicans for the opportunities of tomorrow to counter the shortage of skilled labour which, he said, “is now a binding constraint on our growth”.

Stating that a comprehensive transformation of the education system is already underway with the implementation of recommendations of the Orlando Patterson Commission report, Holness said that the Administration will give priority to the basics; namely literacy, numeracy, early childhood education, and computer literacy.

He said the Administration is currently working on the establishment of the Jamaica Institute of Technology in partnership with the Government of India and India’s National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology.

“This will be a game-changer for creating the labour force for the industries of the future for which Jamaica must position itself,” the prime minister said.

In relation to the development of new industries he said the focus will be in the areas where Jamaica has unique comparative advantages. Those include the link between the agriculture and tourism sectors to “reduce imports, boost local production, and create a sustainable economic ecosystem”; the island’s geographic location that “positions us perfectly to become a global logistics hub”; meeting the “massive demand” from the ageing population in North America for affordable, high-quality medical services; investment in Jamaica’s creative and cultural industries to maximise their economic potential; and the creation of a digital society that will transition Jamaica from being a consumer of technology to a regional leader in the development of technology.

“Our vision is to make Jamaica the Silicon Valley of the region. We have already started investing in making this vision a reality,” he said.

His declaration that the Government is determined to “tear down the walls of bureaucracy” elicited sustained applause.

“The Jamaican bureaucracy has become self-serving… it has no concern as to whether or not the country grows; that must change,” he said to nods of agreement and more applause.

He said the Government intends to amend certain pieces of legislation and realign some regulations “to ensure that they are not obstacles to development” and that they are practical.

He announced the creation of an Efficiency Programme Oversight Committee to ensure that bureaucracy supports growth, and said the Administration will also be looking at the tax and Customs laws with a view to streamlining them and making them easier to implement, as well as to provide incentives and drive productivity and economic growth.

He traced the country’s economic turnaround “from being dismissed as a basket case to now being celebrated as a global model of resilience and fiscal reform.

“We have achieved even more than we set out to when we embarked on this path in 2009. So today, I can proudly say, on behalf of every Jamaican, that we’ve accomplished the mission of economic stability,” Holness said.

“This success that we now celebrate and mark officially was a national effort, and I believe it is important for me to stress this, and it is not my intention to lay singular claim to this,” he said.

He thanked former prime ministers Bruce Golding and Portia Simpson Miller, former opposition leader and finance minister Dr Peter Phillips, former finance ministers Audley Shaw and Dr Nigel Clarke, as well as Bank of Jamaica Governor Richard Byles who was the first chairman of the Economic Programme Oversight Committee, his successor Keith Duncan, and all the members of the National Partnership Council.

“But most of all, I want to thank the people of Jamaica for their patience, resilience, courage, and sacrifice. Jamaica’s turnaround would have been impossible without the willingness of the Jamaican people to endure the hardships that they had to bear.

“We will never forget that, and no future Government should ever forget the sacrifices that were made to get to this point. It is my solemn pledge as prime minister that I will never allow Jamaica to return to those dark days when we were on the edge of the precipice,” Holness said.

“This new chapter is about our economic independence; it is about generating our own opportunities and using our own resources to achieve our dreams and aspirations. This chapter is about us fulfilling our destiny as a great people,” he said.

“Let me be clear, moving on to the next chapter does not in any way mean that we are going to abandon fiscal prudence. We will not go back to ‘run wid it’ – not under my watch,” he declared.

“We have worked too hard and sacrificed too much as a country to ever go back to that. Good fiscal management and macroeconomic stability are now part of our DNA, routine business for us,” he said.

“The tagline we are using for this next chapter is ASPIRE Jamaica,” he said.

A – Access to economic opportunity for all (inclusive growth)

S – Safety and security

P – People and our focus on human capital development

I – Infrastructure development

R – Reform of the bureaucracy to improve ease, speed and cost of doing business

E – Economic diversification/development of new industries

“This chapter is about bold action, shared responsibility, and unyielding ambition with visionary leadership. Together, we will create a Jamaica that is not only stable but thriving — a beacon of hope, resilience, and opportunity for our people,” the prime minister said.

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