Canadian diplomats issue call to action

Two high ranking Canadian diplomats recently issued a call to action for the private sector to step in and build on the gains from the Promotion of Regional Opportunities for Produce through Enterprises and Linkages (PROPEL), to help Jamaica achieve its Vision 2030 goals.

"The 2030 Vision agenda for the Government sees Jamaica in the next 12 years being a middle income, healthy economy. So you not gonna need a donor anymore. That doesn't mean Canada won't be here, we'll always be here but we will change the nature of the relationship and that partnership really has to take hold," Walter Bernyck, counsellor and head of development co-operation at the High Commission of Canada, told the closing out ceremony for the six-year PROPEL project.

Speaking on the theme, The Role of Private Sector in Building Agricultural Sustainability at the Canadian High Commission, Bernyck underscored the importance of local stakeholders matching the donor investments, in order to enhance the gains in capacity building, marketing and other spheres of training undertaken over the course of the project funded by the Canadian government.

TRUE PARTNERSHIP

"We want to move from a donor/recipient kind of relationship to more of a true partnership. Partnerships where we put our money on the table, the Government of Jamaica puts its money on the table, private sector operators commit their resources and farmers commit their resources. It's got to be that way going forward," he declared.

Bernyck was reiterating the sentiments of Canada's High Commissioner to Jamaica, Laurie Peters who in an earlier address called for greater buy-in from a much wider cross section of Jamaicans.

She told the forum: "We need to look at this perhaps through a PPP lens - a private, public partnership and that we altogether support the investment with results that you'll see in your bottom line. I think with the PROPEL project we have set the table and we have planted the seeds. We have cultivated the idea and we have set the table for future generation."

Bernyck in advising that any follow-up project to PROPEL would likely be predicated on a digital platform, incorporating smart technology as a practical route for attracting and retaining young people, spoke to some of the inherent challenges.