jamarchKingston, January 22 – Acting President of the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Sancia Bennett Templer says “the ability of the country to attract sustainable levels of investment to Jamaica will be dependent on the standard and quality of the environment.”
She noted that Jamaica’s leading investment sector, tourism, which contributed over 13 per cent of gross domestic product or US$1.9 billion in revenue in 2006, is heavily dependent on Jamaica’s pristine and unique offering of natural resources. She added that the “nation’s economic welfare rests heavily on the workable partnership between Economic development and environmental quality.”
Mrs. Templer was speaking at a recently held seminar (Thursday, January 18) in Kingston, where JAMPRO in association with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) hosted an interactive seminar at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.
While JAMPRO’s success is measured by the number of jobs it creates through its investment projects, Mrs. Templer says “the agency is seeking to implement new programmes and initiatives which look at an integrated approach to development while focusing on the need to maintain the quality of the environment.”
JAMPRO is projecting to generate some US$208 billion in capital expenditure and 7,000 jobs in the 2006 to 2007 fiscal year which ends March 31 this year.
The JAMPRO acting president has commended the work of the government in its efforts to balance development and the environment. “The government’s commitment to the environment is reflected in the existence and enforcement of preservation laws and regulations, as well as, the number of protocols and treaties which have been ratified,” emphasized Mrs. Templer.
JAMPRO continues to commit its resources through its facilitative work as it tries to ensure that prospective investors are provided with information and directed to the appropriate agencies, so that no policies, standards or regulations are breached during the investment process.
Media Writer
