PRIME MINISTER theMost Hon. AndrewHolness says the Gov-

ernment is continuing to focuson building greater public-private partnerships (PPP) asit works to achieve economicgrowth. “PPPs have emerged as animportant commercial modalityto secure economic growth.the mutual benefit that public-private partnerships offer is ofgreat value,” he said. the Prime Minister wasspeaking at the third Chiefexecutive officer (Ceo)summit of the Americas inLima, Peru on April 13. He noted that a robustPPP allows for unlocking thevalue of assets; reducing debt;and the mobilisation of directinvestments in the economy. this partnership, he said,is crucial as the Governmentworks to quicken the pace atwhich it delivers jobs, improvesinfrastructure, and increasestraining opportunities thatmatch labour market demands.

In recognition of the sig-

nificant role PPPs play, Mr.

Holness said the Government

is cognisant that it “must act

as the enablers of growth by

making it easier to do busi-

ness, supporting private sector,

lead entrepreneurship and

partnering with the private

sector for greater utilisation

of public assets and pro-

vision of public goods and

services.”

the summit is the first

stop on a week-long working

visit. Prime Minister Holness

is scheduled to attend a

special session of the African

Caribbean and Pacific Com-

mittee of Ambassadors.

He will also be in atten-

dance at the Common-

wealth Heads of Government

summit in england, from

April 16 to 20. During the visit he will alsomeet with current and prospec-tive investors, as well as theJamaican Diaspora in Belgium,france and the United Kingdom.

ADVT.

Gov’t to Speed up Processing of

SEZ Applications

tHe Zones of specialoperations (Zosos) in Mountsalem, st James andDenham town in WestKingston will be extended bya further 60 days. the House of repre-sentatives, on April 11,approved two resolutions forthe extensions, which weremoved by Prime Minister theMost Hon. Andrew Holness. Mr. Holness said theextended periods are neces-sary to enable transformation

of the communities throughintensified delivery of socialservices as well as giving thestate the ability to continue totake back full control of theareas. this will be the fourthextension for the Mountsalem Zone, the first tobecome operational onseptember 1, 2017, while itwill be the third for Denhamtown. Prime Minister Holnesstold the House that the

Denham town Zoso hastransitioned into the third andperhaps the most challengingsegment, which is the buildphase. As such, he said, “weneed to assure the residentsthat during this period andmoving forward, the… jointforces will continue to pro-vide an effective presence toprevent the return of crimi-nals and their influence.” With respect to Mountsalem, the area has already

undergone three extensionsto facilitate developmentthrough the ‘Clear, Hold andBuild’ strategy and is currentlyundergoing increased socialintervention activities underthe build phase.

some of the social inter-

vention strategies being imple-

mented include: infrastructure

improvement projects, skills

training and entrepreneurship

grants.

PM Holness Addresses Summitof the Americas

tHe GovernMent is tar-geting a reduction in thetimeline for processing specialeconomic Zone (seZ) appli-cations to 60 days by 2019,with further reductions insubsequent years. Minister without Portfolioin the Ministry of economicGrowth and Job Creation,Hon. Daryl vaz, made thedisclosure at a BlockchainDesign Workshop organisedby the Jamaica specialeconomic Zone Authority(JseZA), at the Jamaica CivilAviation Authority (JCAA)offices in Kingston on April 11. He said the JseZA, theagency mandated to man-age and regulate seZs, isundertaking work to achievethe target. the current timeline forthe processing of applicationswithout pre-approvals is120 days. Minister vaz said thataggressive goals have alsobeen set for other types ofapplications, such as thosewith pre-approvals. He noted that theimprovement in the turn-around time is expected toresult in easier and faster

company registration andgrowth in foreign DirectInvestment (fDI). other benefits includeattracting more companiesto the seZs, with the atten-dant implications for jobcreation; growth in exportsas a result of productionoutput; improved countryrecognition; and improvementin Jamaica’s internationalranking for doing business,as well as growth in grossdomestic product.

one of the methods theJseZA is seeking to employis the blockchain model, whichis regarded as a leadingbusiness innovation plat-form. the Minister pointedout that enterprise block-chain technologies are per-fectly positioned to addressmany of the challenges cur-rently faced by the JseZA inits endeavour to reduce theseZ application cycle time.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of EconomicGrowth and Job Creation, Hon. Daryl Vaz (right), speakswith General Manager, Caribbean Region, InternationalBusiness Machines Corporation (IBM), Jason Nestor.Occasion was a Blockchain Design Workshop held at theJamaica Civil Aviation Authority in Kingston on April 11.

$150 Million Allocated to repair MarketsMInIster of Local Gov-ernment and CommunityDevelopment, Hon. DesmondMcKenzie, says the Govern-ment will be pumping $150million into improving theaesthetic appeal of marketsacross the island. He said the investment“represents one of the highestexpenditures… over the pastfive years on marketsacross the country” andcharged vendors to take careof the improved facilitiesthat will be provided.

“We have listened to

them about the problems

they were having with leaking

roofs and unsanitary condi-

tions. now, there can be no

more excuses when… we

spend the money to upgrade

and make the markets

acceptable,” he noted.

the Minister was

speaking at the official

opening of a transportation

centre and breaking of

ground for a new market in

Clark's town, trelawny,

recently.

In addition to the repairsto be carried out, a numberof new markets will be built. Minister McKenzieinformed that a $54 millioncontract has been signed toconstruct a new market inPort Maria, st. Mary, whilework on the Black rivermarket in st. elizabeth will be

completed at a cost of $15million. Also, approximately $10million has been allocated toassist with the completionof the new falmouth market. the facility, which isslated to open later thismonth, will replace the old‘Bend Down’ market.

Minister of Local Government and Community Dev-elopment, Hon. Desmond McKenzie (centre); Mayor ofFalmouth, His Worship Councillor Colin Gager (left);and Member of Parliament for Northern Trelawny,Victor Wright (right), participate in the breaking ofground for construction of a new market in Clark'sTown, Trelawny, recently.

tHe GovernMent has

provided $2 million worth of

medical equipment to the

santa Cruz Health Centre of

excellence in st. elizabeth,

which will enhance health-

care services to citizens

served by the facility.

the items include a

standby generator, phle-

botomy chair, diagnostic set

for eyes and nose, electro-

cardiograph (eCG) machine,

and a refrigerator for storing

specimen and vaccines. the

centre will also receive a

cardiac monitor. the provision, under thePublic sector transformationand Modernisation Division

(PstMD) of the office of theCabinet, is part of efforts bythe Government to revolu-tionise service deliveryacross the public sector. It follows a customer-service assessment of thehealth sector, which wascompleted between 2014and 2015. All type 3 facilities thatfall under the st. elizabethHealth Department are slatedto receive proper directionalsignage. As a best practice,customer-service desks willbe posted in all facilities andcustomer representatives willbe made easily identifiablewith marked vests.

speaking at the hand-

over ceremony at the health

centre on April 10, Principal

Director of the Moderni-

sation Implementation Unit in

the PstMD, Wayne robertson,

said the Unit will continue to

strengthen public institutions

to make them more efficient

and effective in delivering

services to the public.

He underscored the

importance of the health

sector in helping to achieve

Jamaica’s growth agenda,

and encouraged the southern

regional Health Authority

(srHA) to do its part in

maintaining the equipment

while the PstMD continues

to transform the sector.

Minister of Science, Energy

and Technology, Dr. the Hon.

Andrew Wheatley (left),

plants a tree with student,

Teygan-Taj Williams (cen-

tre); and Manager, St.

Catherine 4-H Clubs, Elaine

Campbell, at the launch

of an Environmental Pro-

gramme at Chedwin Gar-

dens Basic School in St.

Catherine on April 11.

Standing (at left) is Principal

of Chedwin Gardens Basic

School, Novlette Williams.

Tree Planting Exercise at Chedwin Gardens

60-Day Extension of Mount Salem and Denham Town ZOSOs

santa Cruz Health Centre of excellence Gets $2 Million Worth of equipment

Jamaica’s Tourism BoomingMInIster of tourism, Hon.edmond Bartlett, saysJamaica continues to seemajor growth in touristarrivals, with stopover andcruise-passenger arrivalsstanding at approximately1.3 million for the first quarterof 2018. the January to Marcharrivals represent over80,000 more visitors to theisland than the correspon-ding period of 2017, anincrease of 6.6 per cent. this is a continuation ofthe record-breaking perfor-mance of the sector lastyear, where total arrivalseclipsed the four million mark,reaching 4.3 million and for-eign exchange earnings ofapproximately Us$3 billion. Minister Bartlett saidthat provisional data for thefirst week of April show a14.1 per cent increase in

stopover visitors over thesame period last year. “no doubt, a large per-centage of the 51,384 visitorsthat graced our shores thatweek came for the island’scarnival celebrations,” he said. He was speaking at thelaunch of the Airbnb KingstonHost Club at Devon House inst. Andrew on April 10. Airbnb is a respectedcommunity marketplace forpeople to list, discover, andbook exceptional accommo-dations across the globe. Clubs will help to furtherstrengthen the programme’spresence in Jamaica byempowering hosts with thetools and resources neededto effectively organise them-selves. they also presentopportunities for hosts toshare their experiences, bestpractices and contributionsto the wider community.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmond Bartlett (left), in dis-cussion with Head of Public Policy for Airbnb’s CentralAmerica and the Caribbean operation, Carlos Muñoz, atthe launch of Airbnb’s Kingston Host Club at DevonHouse, St. Andrew on April 10.

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre) and Minister of Foreign Affairs andForeign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (left) are briefed by Peruvian official,Minister of Economy and Finance, David Tuesta Cardenas, upon their arrival in Peru on April 12for the Summit of the Americas.

Gov’t to Boost Public-Private Partnerships

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