Jamaican News

Enterprise Team to Lead Development of Logistics Centre

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has declared the development of Jamaica as a premier international logistics centre to be a national project.

He has appointed an Enterprise Team to be responsible for assessing customs and shipping regulation reform, logistics activity zones and logistics investment promotion.

The team will be led by Chairman of the Economic Growth Council (EGC), Michael Lee-Chin, and will comprise public-sector leaders, who will engage the investors, industry stakeholders and regulators in consultations.

Mr. Holness said the Enterprise Team will seek to integrate the efforts of all the relevant project units, statutory agencies, Ministries and public bodies “into a coherent, unified project team, capable of advancing the objectives more quickly and equipped to interface more effectively with international and local investors”.

“We are putting together a strategic management of the operation. We are going to put it in the hands of someone who understands global business and who can make it happen, and the Government will support the Enterprise Team to ensure that logistics become a reality,” the Prime Minister said.

He noted that the objective is to attract increased trans-shipment cargo to the Kingston Harbour and to develop warehousing and logistics facilities at locations adjacent to the main trans-shipment terminals as well as at key zones linked to the terminals by appropriate transportation infrastructure.

Over the long-term, he said, the Government intends to encourage investors to establish their logistics, light manufacturing and commercial operations in these zones.

“The Government is also interested in attracting innovative, technology-driven organisations to use these zones as a base from which to launch their products and services into international markets,” Mr. Holness said.

“Under this Administration, the goal of making Jamaica a logistics centre, a logistics hub, a logistics economy will be realised,” he declared.

The Prime Minister further noted that the collaboration by the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) and the Jamaica Customs Agency to implement the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) creates a high degree of confidence that Kingston will resume its position as the leading trans-shipment terminal in the region in 2018.

ASYCUDA seeks to establish an integrated electronic platform on which to execute all transactions among members of the port community in a paperless and efficient manner.

The full implementation of the system will be completed this year.

Article by: Denise Dennis
Photo from: www.jis.gov.jm

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