Growth & Jobs | Tap investment streams, JAMPRO urges private sector

Following the agency’s recent call for new investment projects, JAMPRO President Diane Edwards is encouraging local companies to take full advantage of the investment company’s range of services to drive trade.

She made a special call to large companies to capitalise on the valuable business support that the agency provides.

Edwards said that while JAMPRO facilitates international investors, it also provides services to local businesses in need of general support, like exporter and film registration, market information, industry and market opportunity analysis, training sessions, and exporter-and-investor readiness assessments.

“A part of JAMPRO’s mandate is business facilitation services for companies in Jamaica; providing general support to many persons locally who are interested in optimising their businesses to achieve greater success. More than 2,000 persons walk through JAMPRO’s doors each year for general support, and we want to see more Jamaicans coming to us for the range of services we offer,” she said.

JAMPRO is an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries.

Market intelligence assistance

The JAMPRO president also explained that in addition to the agency’s general advocacy on the ease of doing business, its clients receive assistance to realise their goals. This includes market intelligence sharing, customised market information, business-to-business matchmaking, business-approval facilitation, site-selection facilitation, targeted client support, and business facilitation meetings.

In the last year alone, support was provided for more than 600 companies that engaged JAMPRO for export and other business development services. In addition, the agency provided business support for a number of recent multimillion-dollar local investments and export projects, including the Eight Rivers energy project in Westmoreland, the Amaterra Group hotel development project in Trelawny, and Scotch Boyz, a local manufacturer of sauces. Edwards said she wants other Jamaicans to join these already existing JAMPRO clients on their business journey.

“Our goal is to expand the island’s economic growth, and to do that. We must generate activity that will create jobs and increase the flow of capital in the economy,” she said.

“We believe that there are many local business entities who can benefit from our support and can contribute to Jamaica’s economic growth, so we invite them to call us or come in to JAMPRO’s offices to access services that will be beneficial for their business.”