Holness thanks Clarke for service to public sector
Prime Minister Andrew Holness earlier this week thanked Ambassador Dr Nigel Clarke for his service to Jamaica as chairman of the National Housing Trust, chairman of the board of the Port Authority of Jamaica, and deputy chairman of the Economic Growth Council.
HAVING BEEN elected as member of parliament for North West St Andrew last week, Clarke has given up all positions he held on government boards.
“In accordance with the policy of my Government, Ambassador Clarke’s stewardship of the National Housing Trust (NHT) has been characterised by a refocusing of the Trust on its central task of providing housing solutions, and, in par ticular, affordable housing solutions,” Holness said.
According to the prime minister, under Clarke’s chairmanship, NHT housing starts have increased dramatically, and, in the 2017-18 financial year, “The NHT is set to achieve approximately 5,200 housing starts, which will be, by far, the highest number of NHT housing starts in approximately 20 years.”
In addition, he said, under Clarke’s chairmanship, the NHT has completed planning for more than 20,000 NHT housing starts by 2020 and has spearheaded innovative programmes to drive even more growth in affordable housing solutions through par tnership with the private sector.
PORT AUTHORITY
With respec t to the Por t Authority, the prime minister stated, “Dr Clarke assumed the chairmanship of the Por t Authority at a delicate time during the final stages of the divestment process of the Kingston Container Terminal and successfully oversaw the divestment and over US$400 million of investment for Jamaica.”
With regard to the Economic Growth Council (EGC), Holness said, “Ambassador Clarke was a guiding force behind the work of the EGC, including wideranging policy reform recommendations, many of which have since been adopted by the Government.”
Clarke continues to serve as an adviser to the prime minister and ambassador of economic affairs, working out of the O ffice of the Prime Minister, inter facing with multilateral agencies, and working closely in the monitoring of the precautionary stand-by agreement with the International Monetary Fund.