Japan praised for developing Caribbean fisheries sector

Tuesday, February 03, 2015 | 12:43 PM    

BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) – The executive director of the Belize-based Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Milton Haughton, has praised Japan for its support to the regional fishing industry over the past 20 years.

“The fact that Japan has been willing and steadfast in contributing so generously to promote sustainable use of marine resources in the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) countries, even in these challenging economic times, is in my opinion, a true reflection of the special bond of friendship and importance that Japan attaches to our relationship,” Haughton said.

“Over the past 20 years, Japan has emerged as the major contributor toward the development of the fisheries sector at the bilateral level within the Caribbean.

“Japan has been providing vital and substantial support in upgrading and improving the artisanal fishing fleet; fishing ports and other shore-based infrastructure for storage, processing and marketing of fish; as well as provision of training in gear technology, processing and quality assurance, resource management and conservation of fisheries,” Haughton added.

The 20-year partnership between Japan and CARICOM culminated with a series of in-country seminars in six regional countries, which discussed national level interventions supported by Tokyo, with presentations on the successes as well as the challenges.

Over the past 20 years, Caribbean countries have benefitted from the development and expansion of trade in fish and fishery products by CARICOM member states; the construction of port facilities for fishing boats, and fresh fish markets as well as training attachments of fisheries personnel in Japan.

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Japan praised for developing Caribbean fisheries sector

The Banking Services Act and the anticipated impact on the financial services sector (Part 2)

THE Banking Services Act specifically allows deposit-taking institutions (banks, merchant banks and building societies), with the prior approval of the Supervisory Committee, to appoint a person to act as agent to offer banking services such as deposits and withdrawals, bill and loan payments/ repayments, account balance enquiries and collection of KYC and due diligence information. The intention here seems to be to encourage efficiency through authorised agency relationships.

Supervision of financial groups and financial holding companies

The Act reinforces the existing requirements for consolidated supervision. It also introduces provisions expanding the supervisory realm to incorporate conglomerate supervision.

The Act defines “consolidated supervision” in relation to a financial group as meaning: (a) the supervision of the financial group on a consolidated basis; (b) the effective supervision of every licensee within a financial group, and (c) where the financial group is a part of a mixed conglomerate, the comprehensive review of the activities within the financial group.

Under the Act, a financial holding company shall be established and consolidated supervision shall apply where:

a) two or more financial institutions operating in Jamaica are members of the financial group and one of them is a deposit-taking institution; and

b) a deposit-taking institution operating in Jamaica is a member of a financial group and has branches or subsidiaries or control of companies outside of Jamaica.

The Act then outlines structures that will afford the supervisor the ability to better regulate and supervise financial groups. It will also allow the supervisor to obtain a perspective of the financial condition of the wider group within which the deposit-taking institution exists, in order to assess the risk that may be present to the deposit-taking institution.

The Act also prohibits ownership structures of and within a financial group which, in the opinion of the supervisory committee, may impede consolidated supervision or effective supervision of a licensee. Notably, these ownership structures include structures that are established in jurisdictions with laws that hinder consolidated or effective supervision.

We have already begun to see entities within the financial services sector taking steps to restructure so as to facilitate effective supervision.

New offences

The Act creates and incorporates new offences making the legislation more relevant to the current market and international trends. These offences include fraudulently misrepresenting that an entity is licensed under the Act, undertaking dealings with shell banks and breaches of the financial holding company provisions.

Enhanced enforcement framework

The Act also provides for an enhanced enforcement framework under Part XXII, such as written warnings and mandatory measures where, for instance, there is a breach of the Proceeds of Crime Act or a licensee’s capital falls below the minimum prescribed level. The functions and investigative powers of the supervisor have also been enhanced under Part XIII.

There are many benefits to be gained from streamlining the laws governing our deposit-taking institutions. It is also clear that the Act contains provisions that more adequately address issues facing the financial services sector. However, time will tell whether the Act proves to be a thorn or a rose for the licensees under the Act.

Simone Bowie Jones is an associate at Myers, Fletcher & Gordon Attorneys-at-Law

and is a member of the firm’s Commercial Department. Simone may be contacted at simone.bowie@mfg.com.jm or www.myersfletcher.com. This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal aid.

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The Banking Services Act and the anticipated
impact on the financial services sector (Part 2)

The Banking Services Act and the anticipated impact on the financial services sector (Part 1)

With SIMONE BOWIE JONES

Wednesday, January 21, 2015    

THE aim of the recently passed, but not yet in force, Banking Services Act (the “Act”) is to aid in the creation of a more efficient banking system by seeking to bring the legislative regime in accordance with international standards and by consolidating the different pieces of legislation that govern entities within the financial services sector. The Act repeals the Banking Act and the Financial Institutions Act and amends sections of the Building Societies Act and the Bank of Jamaica Act.

Members of the financial sector have for some time been waiting with wary anticipation for the passing of the Act, first known simply as the banking “omnibus legislation”. Highlighted in this article are some of the changes that will be introduced by the Act.

The Administration of the Act & Transparency

The Banking Services Act, like the previous pieces of legislation governing the financial services sector, is administered by the Bank of Jamaica (the “BOJ”) and the “Supervisor”, that is, the Supervisor of Banks and Specified Financial Institutions appointed under the Bank of Jamaica Act. The Act introduces the “Supervisory Committee”, which is to advise and make recommendations to the Supervisor on matters such as the grant and revocation of licences; the determination as to whether a person is fit and proper; applications regarding corporate and group restructuring, new products and services; development and enforcement of the Code of Conduct; and change in the ownership of licences.

The constitution and procedures of the Supervisory Committee are set out in the Second Schedule to the Act. Notably, two of the five members of the Supervisory Committee must be persons not employed by the BOJ and have experience and knowledge in banking business, commercial law, administration, finance or the regulation of financial services. Public officers, members of the House of Representatives or the Senate and persons with a proprietary interest in a licensee are not eligible for appointment. Measures such as this clearly evidence an intention to improve governance and transparency.

Boards & Management Committees

The Act requires all licensees to establish appropriate board and management committees to oversee key aspects of the operations, and establish due diligence processes (including background checks) for directors, officers and key employees. It also maintains the requirement that the officers advise the Supervisor on a proactive basis of any facts evidencing potential or actual challenges to the ability of a licensee to meet its obligations.

Every licensee must have a board of directors consisting of not less than five members, and not less than one-third of the board membership must be made up of independent directors.

The Act also stipulates that the board of directors is to be comprised of suitably qualified and competent directors that possess the knowledge and expertise required to have oversight of the operations, effective leadership and can ensure that the licensee operates in a prudent manner.

The Act specifically prohibits the chairman of the board from being an employee of the licensee. Further, the same person cannot be both chairman of the board and chief executive officer of a licensee at the same time. However, these restrictions do not, however, apply where the chairman of the board or board of management is established in relation to the branch operations in Jamaica of a foreign bank.

Every licensee is to ensure that:

* the policies of the licensee are updated at regular intervals;

* policies and procedures (including rules and procedures governing due diligence and promoting ethical and professional standards) are established and meet the standards required by applicable laws;

* appropriate and adequate record keeping systems are in place;

* a person does not undertake activities or hold dual or multiple roles within a financial group that may create an actual or potential conflict of interest except where approved by the Supervisor; and

* any transaction between a licensee and a connected person is at commercial arms length pricing and terms.

These provisions should result in better accountability and governance and allow the public to have a greater level of confidence that the institutions in which they deposit their hard-earned money, are being operated by qualified persons with a greater level of transparency.

Additional Reporting Requirements

The Act now incorporates an express obligation for licensees to immediately report to the Supervisor matters that could materially affect the financial viability or reputation of the licensee, as well as fraud or criminal activity committed by or against the licensee. The licensee is also to advise the Supervisor of any emerging factors that may render a director, officer, substantial shareholder or key employee unfit to hold office or no longer fit and proper, as well as of the resignation or dismissal of any such person and the reason for same.

Licensees must also give prior notice to the Supervisor of transactions involving the sale or purchase of loans for a price exceeding (individually or in aggregate) 5 per cent of its capital base. They must also give notice of intent to appoint an external auditor and any major changes to existing operations.

Simone Bowie Jones is an Associate at Myers, Fletcher and Gordon

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The Banking Services Act and the anticipated impact on the financial services sector (Part 1)

Jamaica"s health sector a national emergency, doctors say

Tuesday, January 06, 2015 | 10:29 AM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) says it is urging the ministries of Health and Finance to jointly consult with public and private stakeholders on how to effectively and sustainably address issues affecting the nation’s health sector.

“The provision of good health care should be viewed by the Government as an investment in our citizens towards increased productivity and not simply a cost to the country,” the MAJ said in a statement in reference to two articles published by the Jamaica Observer on the 4th and 5th of January 2015 regarding the continued depressed state of public hospitals in Jamaica.

“The Medical Association of Jamaica has again noted and remains extremely concerned with these reports on the state of the country’s public hospitals.

“These stories have once again highlighted the sad and unacceptable circumstances under which patients and their relatives must access their care. This is compounded by the frustrating and demoralising conditions in which Health Professionals often provide this essential service,” the statement read.

The MAJ described the state of the health sector as a “national emergency” and said that the chronic underfunding and delayed reform of the public health sector in Jamaica is negatively affecting the outcomes of patients.

The doctors added that the personal and financial costs to patients and their families for delays, complications, pain and suffering will soon be incalculable.

“We hope that some significant improvements in the budgetary allocation to the sector will be made for the upcoming financial year (2015/16). Jamaica’s budget for public health service must be based on the health realities facing the country at this time.”

The association said that hospitals and health centres cannot function effectively or efficiently without the concomitant investment in the sector.

“We believe that the country’s stakeholders must act together and quickly to safeguard the health of our citizens. A collective and collaborative approach in addressing this challenge is the first step of many in achieving health sector reform and the sustainable financing of public health services in Jamaica.”

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Jamaica"s health sector a national emergency, doctors say

BPO employees hail sector

BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter

Friday, October 10, 2014    

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Yoni Epstein, chairman of the Business Processing Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) has dispelled the notion that customer service agent positions in the BPO sector are dead-end jobs.

He stoutly defended the sector, which employs over 10,000 persons at call centres located in Montego Bay, St James and 14,000 persons nationally, noting that it provides vast career opportunities.

“The agent position is merely a stepping stone to a career in the sector. There is much scope for elevation. Many per sons who started as agents have since risen up through the ranks,” Epstein stated.

Epstein added: “Persons are trained on the job so it is easier to promote persons internally than to seek externally. It builds the moral of the workers.”

A number of persons who have been elevated to managerial positions after starting as agents gave the

Observer West an account of their upward journey in the sector.

Rhonda Rodriguez Simpson, an American-born of Jamaican parentage, who is now employed at Global Outsourcing Solutions, was among those who shared their story.

“I spent nearly two years unemployed after losing the last job from a call centre. So when Global Outsourcing Solutions called me and offered me the position I gladly took up the offer,” Simpson said.

“A few months later I became a manager and I am currently a project manager and I hear that there are more things in the pipeline for me as we speak.”

Michael Daley shared a similar success story.

“I started in the BPO Industry in 2008 as an agent and today I am Director of Operations for Itel BPO in 2014. The BPO industry has allowed me to provide sufficiently for my family and accumulate the necessary wealth to be well on my way to achieving the Jamaican dream,” Daley revealed.

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BPO employees hail sector

Business sector forecasts slow slide to J$115 = US$1

Businesses expect the local currency to slide towards $115 to US$1 by August 2015, a slower pace than previously expected, according to a Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) report.

It signals growing stability in the financial sector which, up to mid-year, suffered from faster depreciation.

The expected depreciation would result in 3.8 per cent decline over the review period against its US counterpart. In June, respondents expected the dollar to lose 5.8 per cent of its value over 12 months.

“Relative to the survey in June 2014, respondents expected a slower pace of depreciation in the domestic currency for the three-month, six-month and 12-month period beyond the survey date,” stated the BOJ Inflation Expectation Survey prepared by the bank’s Research Services Department and which contained data from 292 respondents.

The currency lost 14.4 per cent of its value in 2013 and an additional five per cent since January. Since June 2014, the slide tapered off based on an influx of foreign currency linked to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan agreement. At the time, the BOJ and the IMF separately indicated that the currency gained competitiveness against the greenback.

In the survey, businesses stated that they expect inflation to dip slightly towards 10.4 per cent for the 2014 calendar year, down from 10.7 per cent expected in the previous survey.

“The results of the August 2014 survey reflected an improvement in businesses’ perception of inflation control by the authorities when compared to the previous survey. Specifically, the index of inflation control increased to 156.6 from 149.9 in the June 2014 survey. This improvement mainly reflected an increase in the number of respondents who were ‘satisfied’ with the authorities’ control of inflation,” stated the BOJ.

The survey captured the perceptions of chief executive officers, managing directors and financial controllers about the future movement of prices, current and future business conditions and the expected rate of increase in wages/salaries. The BOJ said that these responses assist it in charting future policy decisions.

– Steven Jackson

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Business sector forecasts slow slide to J$115 = US$1

BPO employees hail sector

BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter

Friday, October 10, 2014    

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Yoni Epstein, chairman of the Business Processing Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) has dispelled the notion that customer service agent positions in the BPO sector are dead-end jobs.

He stoutly defended the sector, which employs over 10,000 persons at call centres located in Montego Bay, St James and 14,000 persons nationally, noting that it provides vast career opportunities.

“The agent position is merely a stepping stone to a career in the sector. There is much scope for elevation. Many per sons who started as agents have since risen up through the ranks,” Epstein stated.

Epstein added: “Persons are trained on the job so it is easier to promote persons internally than to seek externally. It builds the moral of the workers.”

A number of persons who have been elevated to managerial positions after starting as agents gave the

Observer West an account of their upward journey in the sector.

Rhonda Rodriguez Simpson, an American-born of Jamaican parentage, who is now employed at Global Outsourcing Solutions, was among those who shared their story.

“I spent nearly two years unemployed after losing the last job from a call centre. So when Global Outsourcing Solutions called me and offered me the position I gladly took up the offer,” Simpson said.

“A few months later I became a manager and I am currently a project manager and I hear that there are more things in the pipeline for me as we speak.”

Michael Daley shared a similar success story.

“I started in the BPO Industry in 2008 as an agent and today I am Director of Operations for Itel BPO in 2014. The BPO industry has allowed me to provide sufficiently for my family and accumulate the necessary wealth to be well on my way to achieving the Jamaican dream,” Daley revealed.

View the original article here

BPO employees hail sector

BPO sector celebrates reduction in illegal activity

BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter

Thursday, October 16, 2014    

MONTEGO BAY, St James — A year ago, lotto scamming activities threatened to flat-line the business processing outsourcing (BPO) sector. Today, with a clampdown on the illegal activity, bolstered by the relevant legislation, there is now next to no reports of the illegal activities and the industry is thriving.

“I would say a year or so ago that was the number one issue affecting not only the sector but more broadly and certainly in the last couple of months I have not heard that as a major issue anymore,” Julian Robinson, the state minister in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Mining and Energy, told the Jamaica Observer West.

Robinson attributed the reduction of complaints to Government’s introduction of legislation to battle the illegal sweepstakes, which not only posed a threat to the existence of BPO industry but has resulted in a spate of killings across western Jamaica.

In the past, scammers would get data from within some of the BPO companies. They then used that data to target their victims, mostly elderly United States residents. As the activity flourished local companies were at risk of losing their contracts from overseas entities.

BPO services target offshore or near-shore back-office operations such as accounting, human resource management and customer service (call-centre facilities).

Meanwhile, President of the Business Processing Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ), Yoni Epstein confirmed that reports of scamming activities within the sector has fallen.

“The reality of it is it is on the decline. We have not heard of any instances, and to me more importantly, I haven’t heard any instances locally as the clients and prospective clients are asking about it less and less,” Epstein told the Observer West.

Both Epstein and Robinson were speaking to the Observer West following the historical signing of a deal between Columbus Communications and the BPIAJ to establish an incubator within the Montego Bay Freezone, which is expected to trigger growth, enhance market access and create new jobs.

The incubator, which is slated to be fully operational by December, will fast-track entry of new players into the business process outsourcing sector as well as facilitate short-term expansion for current investors.

The telecommunications firm — which trades as Flow and has been vigourously marketing its business brand Columbus Business Solutions (CBS) — will install, as part of its workstation solutions, screens and a combination of physical and so-called soft phones.

Columbus, which offers telephony, Internet and cable services, has ramped up its infrastructure to capitalise on businesses’ appetite for one-stop-shop, holistic technology solutions. “The partnership recognises the importance of the Business Process Industry to Jamaica‘s national development and is intended to provide a solution that fast tracks new entrants to the local market, a problem that has often been cited by the Government and Industry players alike” said Sean Latty, head of the communications giant.

The BPO sector is a fast-growing industry which local economists and Government officials see as having great potential for growth, as business confidence rises and investment opportunities emerge.

Currently, there are approximately 40 BPO companies in operations, accounting for approximately 14,000 jobs in Jamaica, according to Epstein.

“We believe that this is a small portion of what the industry is capable of and the partnership with CBS will ease one of the challenges that has stifled the sector’s growth,” Epstein said. Epstein’s point is supported by JAMPRO, the government’s trade and investment promotion agency, that has indicated the sector could create 15,000 new jobs over the next five years.

“The BPO sector represents the fastest growing growth sector in the economy right now and we commend Flow as a private sector partner for coming on board and supporting this initiative,” he added.

As Jamaica seeks to improve its rankings in global competitiveness and the ease-of-doing-business indices, CBS’s initiative will help to expedite the entry of new BPO entrepreneurs, making the industry more dynamic and innovative.

Epstein was upbeat over the soon-to-be established incubator.

“The incubator is a 200 seat call centre that will be developed in the Montego Bay Freezone. The goal of the incubator is to attract foreign investors as well as local investors to start up businesses. Its cheaper access to entry, lower barriers to entry and faster uptime to get started into business. We want to make it as easy as possible for investors to want to come to Jamaica as well as for local investors and entrepreneurs to start businesses,” Epstein told the Observer West.

Epstein added: “It is also going to foster growth in existing businesses because if we have the space and someone can’t build out fast. Enough they will have access to the incubator to start-up grow their business while they develop their existing spaces.”

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BPO sector celebrates reduction in illegal activity

Tourism Minister expects boost in cruise sector next month

Tourism Minister Dr Wykeham McNeil has declared that Jamaica’s cruise sector will receive a significant boost next month, with Thomson Dream home porting one ot its vessels in Montego Bay. 

Thomson Dream, which is the cruise arm of  European travel and tourism company (TUI) made the announcement last year that it intends to base one of its cruise ships in Jamaica.     The home porting of the ship in Montego Bay will result in an additional four flights out of Europe each week, bringing passengers for the vessel.Dr McNeil says an estimated 30 per cent of  the passengers who come for the cruise ships are expected to stay at alocal  hotel.  The Tourism Minister also announced on Wednesday that the country welcomed 939,000 cruise passengers during the months, January to August. That was up 10 per cent from a year ago.  

Falmouth, which handles 700,000 passengers annually, is the biggest port of call in Jamaica, followed by Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.   

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Tourism Minister expects boost in cruise sector next month

Public sector workers in St. Lucia asked to take pay cut

Prime Minister Kenny Anthony of St Lucia has told public sector unions in that country that their members should take a 5% wage cut and a wage freeze after, among a series of measures, to aid the debt-wracked economy; otherwise, he’s warned, retrenchment will follow.  Mr. Anthony told his countrymen that despite the significant cuts proposed in this year’s budget, the government was still facing a financing gap of  205 million EC dollars.  
He said the Ministry of  Finance had supplied three options to close the gap, combining cuts in wages and retrenchment of 495 to 990 public servants.      
He asserted that his government was against retrenchment and therefore had made the proposal to public sector unions.  

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Public sector workers in St. Lucia asked to take pay cut

Judicial review of decision to regulate TT used car sector

Trinidad & Tobago’s Express newspaper has reported that senior counsel Russell Martineau has asked for time to speak with Minister of Trade, Industry, Investment and Communications Vasant Bharath before the court considers granting a stay of a decision to regulate that country’s foreign-used car industry.

The newspaper reports that Martineau, appearing before Justice Frank Seepersad in the San Fernando High Court on Monday, said he needed to get instructions from his client to submit to the court.

He also reportedly told the judge that on April 7, Cabinet did not approve the draft 2013 to 2017 policy in relation to the regulation of the foreign-used car industry, and it was sent to the General Financial Committee.

The Trinidad & Tobago Automotive Dealers Association filed for judicial review of the decision to implement the new policy, which was due to come into force on April 15.

The Association has claimed that there was no consultation and the decision announced by Bharath last month and the Minister’s decision was irrational, unreasonable and contrary to the principals of natural justice.

The Automotive Dealers Association was granted a stay two weeks ago, restraining the Minister from implementing the policy.

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Judicial review of decision to regulate TT used car sector

BPO sector growth squeezed - Epstein

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter

Friday, June 20, 2014    

MONTEGO BAY, St James – YONI Epstein is concerned about apparent stagnation experienced by the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector since the start of the year.

The sector recorded an 18 per cent growth last year, but the chairman of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) is fearful that this year’s growth is sluggish.

This, he attributes to the country’s lack of competitiveness which he claims is the result of the high “cost of doing business in general”.

“We have seen stagnant or have had no growth in the first six months of this calendar year. This is basically saying to me that we are uncompetitive, there are better places to go to outsource work to,” he told the Business Observer. “It’s been stagnant, very minimal. It is questionable to see if we are going to see double-digit growth again this year.

“Jamaica is becoming more and more uncompetitive due to the high business cost; electricity, tax and telecoms, which is a very bad thing for a sector that grew by double digits last year.”

The BPIAJ chairman bemoaned that the imposition of GCT on telecoms and electricity is having a debilitating effect on BPO operators.

He did note that the tax is reimbursable, but that it has had a severe effect on the cash flow of players in the industry.

Epstein, who is also CEO of Island Outsourcers/itel-BPO Solutions, is calling for a return what existed in the industry prior to 2013, where under the Frezone Act, all goods and services were zero rated, including utilities similar to competitors in the region.

“It is not that we are looking something that is unfair, it is something that we have had, it is something that makes us uncompetitive. We are calling to be exactly where we were in 2012,” Epstein declared.

He added: “No other country in the region charges consumption tax on procured goods and services because it is written into their Freezone Act, similar to ours. So what that does it has basically made Jamaica uncompetitive.”

He also called for a speed up of the 360-megawatt project which would bring cheap electricity to the Jamaican people.

“If you look at Honduras, you look at Canada and you look at other places in the Caribbean and Latin America, their cost of electricity is significantly less than ours,” the BPIA chair argued.

During a recent signing of an agreement for a strategic alliance between the University of the West Indies (UWI) and Barnett Limited, for the sale of land to establish a western campus of the university in Montego Bay held at Bellefield Great House and Gardens, Peter Phillips, minister of finance and planning pointed to the need to nurture the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, which he described as the island’s looming economy.

Currently, more than 12,000 people are employed in 30 companies in the sector.

Dr Phillips noted that the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) has approved six of eight applications for the provision of US$22 million to fund 334,000 square-feet of additional BPO space, which will provide between 7,000 and 10,000 additional jobs.

Meanwhile, the BPIAJ chairman said government has always supported the industry.

“Government is in support of the industry and they have been meeting with us and working with us,” Epstein said.

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BPO sector growth squeezed - Epstein

Spence triples creative sector spend for Ja then heads to Australia

BY STEVEN JACKSON

Friday, February 14, 2014    

FORMER JAMPRO film commissioner Kim Marie Spence has secured a prestigious doctoral research position in Australia which involves some undisclosed research on Jamaica.

She resigned from JAMPRO — the Government’s marketing agency — after tripling expenditure to the creative sector to just over $1 billion. She also reflected on shifting the once Hollywood-centric film commission to one centred on developing local films.

“It is a whole new world. I am in Australia on an Australian Award, doing post-graduate/doctoral research. Of course, it will involve research on Jamaica. I was interested in this opportunity as it gave me time to step back from the daily ‘fire-fighting’ and implementation that my former position required and look at wider best practices, principles and issues involved in designating the creative industries as a key part of Jamaica’s growth strategy,” she said in a mailed response to Caribbean Business Report queries. Follow-up queries on the precise nature of this research were unavailable up to press time.

Spence, whose scholarship and fellowships are funded by the Australian Government, studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and also Wesleyan University. A little over a decade ago, she reportedly left a high-paying job on Wall Street to follow her convictions. Shortly after she became executive director at the think tank Capri (Caribbean Policy Research Institute) before venturing to JAMPRO as film commissioner.

Spence’s remit at JAMPRO encompassed the creative industries which includes film, photography, music, and dance. Total expenditure from that sector facilitated by JAMPRO more than tripled year-over-year to $1.16 billion up from $313 million, according to data from the Economic and Social Survey 2013 published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica. Government has hailed the 2012 results, while critics have describe 2011 as a down year.

Spence, however, oversaw the waves of expenditure since assuming the position in 2010. “As for numbers; I doubled the numbers in the first year and it was upward bound from there… However, there is lots more that it is hard to count,” she said.

Spence resigned and left JAMPRO about a month ago and quickly entered her programme in Australia. JAMPRO has yet to announce a new film commissioner.

“The highlight of my tenure at JAMPRO was the change in direction,” she said. “When I came in, there was a focus on Hollywood. However, given Jamaica’s fiscal situation, we could not realise the work from there, which was quite incentives-driven. We started looking at the audio-visual industry as a whole. This refocus was one that had been done in the industry itself — with the rise in the importance of television series, reality series and animation.

“Out of this refocus came the present animation initiative within which we facilitated ToonBoom. Also came the focus on reality television — ANTM — among many others,” she said.

Animation was the latest thrust by the commission seen as the new outsourcing frontier by Government. However, that was only half the story, “as there was little focus on the work Jamaicans were doing”. Under her watch, a barrage of local films entered cinemas and established directors and actors as stars.

“This is the sustainable aspect of the strategy — Jamaica as a (film and television) content generator. This is key from an economic and also a cultural perspective. I reached out to the distribution side of the business to facilitate greater knowledge of the kind of work Jamaica was producing,” she said, pointing films Better Mus Come, Ghetta Life, Songs of Redemption, One People, and television shows Mi an Mi Kru, Island Rockers, Beenie Man, etc.

“We were preparing Jamaica as a place to come and invest in content,” she reasoned.

The commission also looked beyond the USA and strengthened ties with the diaspora in a bid to ink distribution deals. “There is scope for some amount of Caribbean distribution and the African market, which continues to unfold; and the European market, particularly Germany with Hill an’ Gully Ride.

But financing and more rigorous data remain a perennial challenge for the industry, she reasoned.

“Jamaica is at a crossroads where we need to invest in growth areas — the new and the old. In addition, the world is changing and the new growth areas now are not very familiar — creative industries/entertainment, technology, logistics. The creative industries is an area that many do not understand… and do not take seriously, she said.

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Spence triples creative sector spend for Ja then heads to Australia

PM announces head for new-look public sector unit

VENEICE Pottinger-Scott, the new head of the Public Sector Transformation and Modernisation Unit in the Office of the Cabinet, is to take up duties today.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller on Wednesday announced Pottinger-Scott’s appointment as director general of the unit.

According to Jamaica House, the appointment will be accompanied by the amalgamation of the Public Sector Modernisation Division and the Public Sector Transformation Unit (PSTU), under the purview of the director general.

At the same time, the Consultative Monitoring Group, chaired by banker Peter Moses, and which was established to provide oversight to the work of the PSTU in its task of developing the proposals toward the Master Rationalisation Plan (MRP) will be replaced by a new body, the Public Sector Transformation Committee (PSTC).

The PSTC, which will be mandated to finalise and drive the revised MRP, will report to the Cabinet’s Committee on Public Sector Transformation. The membership of the PSTC will be announced shortly, according to Jamaica House.

Pottinger-Scott previously served as assistant secretary general of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium, and as deputy president, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), prior to joining the ACP Secretariat in 2005. She also held a number of other senior positions at JAMPRO between 1985 and 2004.

Her academic qualifications include masters degrees in business administration and economics, and a bachelor’s degree, all from the University of the West Indies.

Jamaica House said the appointment of the director general, along with the organisational changes, is a reflection of the determination of the Government to move forward the important task of public sector transformation and renewal.

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PM announces head for new-look public sector unit

Hanna calls for private sector assistance in Ananda Alert programme

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna has called on public and private sector individuals, groups and organisations to get more involved in the Ananda Alert missing children recovery programme to ensure the further success of the system.

Speaking at a press conference held by the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) at Jamaica House on Friday, September 6, Hanna highlighted the need for a collaborative approach in dealing with reducing the number of children going missing and those being abused.“If we all assist we can create a strong network that will prove to be a valuable and useful tool in reducing the number of children who go missing and drastically increasing the numbers who are found and returned to their families safely,” Hanna said, noting that parents too have significant roles to play in the process.According to Hanna, the Government continues to forge new partnerships with key players even as her Ministry seeks to strengthen relationships that already exist in an effort to fulfil the administration’s commitment to seriously addressing the issue of child safety and reducing and preventing child abuse.Hanna added that her Ministry, through the OCR, is seeking to create a more effective public advisory system for the Ananda Alert programme. The system, she said, will include public education on the safety of children, consistent and real time dissemination of complete profiles of missing children including names, age, photographs, along with other pertinent information, and an update on those children who have returned home.“The OCR continues to make great strides in carrying out its mandate as a key player in caring for and protecting the nation’s children. Much of its success has been achieved through the OCR’s continuous drive to educate the public about child safety and child abuse prevention and reporting,” said Hanna.The Ananda Alert Missing Children Recovery Programme has been allocated $6.7 million which Hanna said will facilitate greater operational efficiency. As a result of the increased budgetary allocation by the Government, staff for the Ananda Alert programme is being increased and more resources are being invested in public education.Hanna said that between January 1, and August 23, this year the total number of children reported missing was 1,518 with 1,297 returning home.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Hanna calls for private sector assistance in Ananda Alert programme

68 Cuba-trained doctors join health sector tomorrow

A batch of 68 doctors, who finished training recently in Cuba, will be deployed into Jamaica’s health sector starting tomorow.

The doctors, all Jamaicans, represent the latest and largest batch of medical graduates to have been trained in the Socialist Republic since the Cuba/Jamaica Bilateral Programme began over 30 years ago.The doctors, who graduated from the University of Santiago de Cuba’s medical faculty in July, will be deployed to hospitals across the island, with the bulk of them assigned to the Kingston Public Hospital and the Cornwall Regional Hospital, as well as the Spanish Town Hospital, May Pen Hospital, Mandeville General Hospital, St Ann’s Bay Hospital, Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, and Annotto Bay Hospital.Graduate Heron Grant is anxiously awaiting the day when he will be able to give back to residents in his community in Byndloss, Linstead, St Catherine, by offering affordable and quality care to children.The 27-year-old doctor said he also plans to positively impact the locals there, so “as soon as I am able I would like to see how I can serve my community in paediatrics and make it as affordable as possible”.Grant and his collegues spent seven years at the university.The newly trained doctors were officially welcomed and congratulated by Health Minister Fenton Ferguson and outgoing Cuban Ambassador Yuri Gala Lopez during a reception hosted by the ministry of health at its office in downtown Kingston on Thursday.Minister Ferguson, who abandoned his speech and instead opted to have a conversation with the doctors, urged them to display the skills that they had learned and to add value to the current work of the local doctors.The minister also implored the doctors to recognise that their position comes with tremendous responsibility and urged them to serve with humility.“I know that many of you want to wear that doctor (title) on your forehead but that’s not it, that is just like a person who walks around and boasts that he is a Christian and Christianity must be manifested,” he said.“Being a good doctor should be manifested by your compassion, how you see your patients, how serious you take your oath. It’s not about how quickly you’re going to drive the Mercedes Benz or live in Cherry Gardens or Beverly Hills,” Ferguson stated.He advised the doctors that once they are steadfast and have a sense of mission and fixity of purpose, all the material things that they desire will be achieved.“Becoming a doctor is a great achievement, but becoming a servant of the people is a greater achievement,” said the minister, who also expressed gratitude to the Cuban Government.Ambassador Gala Lopez for his part said that Cuba is committed to continue assisting Jamaica.Over 200 Jamaican students are currently studying in Cuban universities as a result of the programme, Gala Lopez said.The ambassador said that although the current economic condition had impacted the programme, it will not be discontinued, as four students left the island in July to study medicine.“For Cuba, it is not just giving others what we have to spare, but moderately sharing with them the little resources that we have,” he said.Chief medical officer in the health ministry, Dr Michael Coombs, told the doctors that they were joining the health system at a critical time, but urged them to call on God for guidance and strength when the job becomes too much for them to bear.Dr Matthew Lloyd O’Connor expressed gratitude to the Cuban and Jamaican government which made their studies possible.“The group is determined to revolutionise medicine in Jamaica and in the Caribbean. We have decided to turn our backs on the commonplace and the ordinary and drastically improve health care across the 14 parishes of the island,” Dr O’Connor said.Dr Jean Dixon, permanent secretary in the ministry of health, shares a light moment with Dr Shaneque Thompson and Dr John Neville Wright during a reception hosted for the doctors at the ministry of health in downtown Kingston.Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson welcomes doctors (from left) Tionette Allen, Kerri Young, Alicia Webster and Kristoffer Williams during a reception hosted for the doctors at the Ministry of Health in downtown Kingston on Thursday. Beside Dr Ferguson is outgoing Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica Yuri Gala Lopez. (PHOTOS: JOSEPH WELLINGTON)

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68 Cuba-trained doctors join health sector tomorrow