By Vanessa James
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – Minister of industry, investment and commerce, senator Aubyn Hill, says Jamaica is perfectly positioned to lead the charge in making the Caribbean the centre for investment and growth, noted that the country’s proximity to the major markets, including the United States East Coast, makes it a top-five exporter in the Caribbean and a key player in global supply chains.
This is even more important in the face of challenges in parts of the world.
“Disruptions in the Panama Canal, rising labour unrests in major ports, and new tariffs will force global manufacturers and distributors to urgently restructure their supply chains,” minister Hill said. “Jamaica’s near-shore geographical position to the largest markets in the world has brought greater focus to the port of Kingston and to Jamaica as a whole. Jamaica is a clear answer,” he contended.
Minister Hill was delivering the keynote address on the topic ‘Jamaica Leading from the Front: Unlocking Green, Smart and Connected Investment Opportunities in the Caribbean’, at the official launch of the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF) 2025 at the AC Hotel in Kingston on May 6.
The three-day event will be held from July 29 to 31 at the Montego Bay Conference Centre in St James. It will provide a platform for investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from across the region to connect, collaborate, and capitalise on high-growth opportunities in various sectors.
Minister Hill, in welcoming the staging of the event, emphasised the need for Caribbean countries to work more collaboratively to make the region a destination for investment and sustainable development.
The minister said there is opportunity for each country to lean into their unique characteristics to push the region forward. Further highlighting Jamaica as a strategic location for transhipment and logistics services, he said that those strengths must be leveraged to benefit the entire Caribbean and noted, for example, that Jamaica can provide support to countries like Guyana, which, while one of the richest countries in the Caribbean, with per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) of US$91,000, has logistics challenges.
“Guyana, like every other country, has pluses and minuses. They have this great port of Georgetown, but the rivers dump silt into Guyana port all the time. They have a draft of four to six metres,” minister Hill said. “Jamaica is the natural logistics hub to help build Guyana until they get to a place five [or] seven years from now where they have a port that can compete with Singapore, Dubai, or Antwerp. So, Jamaica is the place to invest, even if you have an eye on Guyana and you’re not in the oil business,” he pointed out.
Minister Hill said, further, that both Guyana and Jamaica, which have the objective of becoming food centres of the Caribbean, could work together to attract investments to attain this goal for the benefit of the region.
“So, we must make sure that as we build together – smart, green, connected; we connect everyone from the most east in the Caribbean and right across to Guyana, and of course, Jamaica is right up there in the middle.”
Executive director of Caribbean Export, the hosts of CIF 2025, Dr. Damie Sinanan, said that a unified Caribbean is needed during this time of economic instability.
“We, as a Caribbean region really need to band together to work with our partners and to really try to push the region forward…. and I think the Caribbean Investment Forum is well-placed to lead that charge,” Dr Sinanan said.
He informed that this year’s staging of CIF will focus on four key areas reflecting the theme ‘Smart. Green. Connected’. The forum will showcase investment-ready projects in renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure and climate finance; highlight digital transformation and innovation; display sustainable agricultural practices ranging from climate-resilient crop systems to technology-driven food processing working towards food security; and logistics and transportation.
Dr Sinanan said that given Jamaica’s vision of becoming the Caribbean’s logistics and investment hub, the country is the perfect place to host the fourth staging of CIF.
President of Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Shullette Cox, in her remarks, noted the timeliness of the forum considering the Caribbean’s move towards green economies, digital infrastructure expansion, and modernising agriculture for food security and export.
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