Major SEZs to be developed in St Elizabeth and St Catherine

“So, we are talking about ensuring that the projects that we are facilitating ... will help to alleviate poverty, positively impact the environment, and ensure the safety and security of our workers ... Jamaicans in general,” Hamilton told JIS News.

She points out that the manner in which the JSEZA is pursuing and attracting investments and facilitating entities within the SEZ framework is quite meaningful and is also in keeping with international standards.

“We are not doing this haphazardly ... we are doing this responsibly in order to achieve an overarching goal, which is the economic development of the country and helping to achieve Vision 2030 – making Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business,” Hamilton said.

One aspect of the SEZ buildout where this will be significantly manifested is in the development of two major zones in Nain, St Elizabeth, and Caymanas Estate, St Catherine.

JSEZA Chairman, Metry Seaga, who notes that the Authority is “intimately involved”in the work to develop those areas, says that they would entail commercial, industrial, educational, recreational and residential components, all being streamlined into developing new townships.

Hamilton also argues that the JSEZA is intent on being “true to the word ‘Zone’, where you are looking at the development of townships that will have research facilities as well as the natural resources required for inputs into the productive sectors operating within that zone”.

“So, when we say we are going about things in a holistic way ... when we talk about connecting the dots ... we are talking about putting all the moving parts into one location,” she added.