Jamaica, though having some bright moments, has been dogged by slow economic development for as long as I can remember. Jamaica’s potential for greatness still exists as the country is characterized as having big dreamers, an entrepreneurial spirit, having tremendous cultural influence and an abundance of natural resources. One of those big dreams is manifesting in the plans for the development of a logistics hub to take advantage of Jamaica’s geographic location and the expansion of the Panama Canal.
Jamaica lies close to North and South America and is on one of the most-traveled sea routes. The country will be using this to its advantage as it seeks to position itself to investors as a great place to do business. The Government is projecting that Jamaica could be joining Rotterdam, Dubai and Singapore as the fourth global logistics hub. A logistics hub is described as a large cluster of facilities where goods are organized and transported and includes the supporting businesses and organizations to enable trade. How’s that for a big dream!
Among the elements being explored is the Caymanas Economic Zone, spread over 200 acres, located beside a major highway. The zone is intended to include information communication technology (ICT), manufacturing, and agro-processing facilities, as well as, warehousing and office spaces. The area of Caymanas was chosen because of its close proximity to both sea and air ports. Other elements include improvement to existing infrastructure. Among those projects are the deepening of the Kingston Harbour, modernization of Kingston’s port and upgrading of the customs system to handle the increased traffic. Among the facilities to be constructed are a commodity port and a dry dock.
The logistics hub, I believe, has the power to transform Jamaica’s economic situation and truly make Jamaica a preferred destination for international businesses and a great place to invest. The country already has a robust telecommunications infrastructure, trained work force, close proximity to some of the strongest markets and established industries that support setting up and growing successful companies.
Already there is progress in making some of the projects happen. At a presentation recently we were told that groups of investor hopefuls, who were shortlisted for the development of the Caymanas Economic Zone project, were in the island presenting their plans and going through the Government’s due diligence process. One of the things that I am most heartened by is the response of international partners, like the World Bank, are now working to make Jamaica’s big dream happen. It seems they, like many Jamaicans, see the logistics hub as having the magic to transform Jamaica into an economic powerhouse.
Finally, I want to thank Dameon Brackett for allowing me to use his beautiful and powerful photographs in this post.