Where art thou Jamaica thread?

[dante2308]

Priority to be Placed on Several Key Areas in New Development Plan
TORONTO (JIS)
Monday, May 28, 2007

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Professor Kenneth Hall has said that priority would be placed on human resources, international competitiveness, environmental sustainability, health, infrastructure and national security in Jamaica's new development plan.

He pointed out that this plan was being prepared so that the country could achieve developed country status by the year 2030.

"That plan calls on us to make Jamaica the place of choice to raise families, live, work and do business, and is guided by principles which put people at the centre of Jamaica's transformation," he explained.

The Governor-General, who was addressing patrons attending the 19th annual dinner and dance of the Rusea's Old Students Association (ROSA) in Toronto, Canada recently, said the new development plan to transform Jamaica would be "buttressed by strong extraordinary leadership."

Professor Hall said graduates today and in the future needed to position themselves to acquire the requisite "skills, knowledge and competences" in order to participate or lead in the transformation of Jamaica.

The former student and teacher of Rusea's noted that it was for this reason that the Old Students Association, the school Board and the management of the school have come up with a long-term strategic plan to "develop and manage education programmes to achieve excellent education outcomes and promote the graduation of outstanding well rounded students."

Slated to cost approximately $82 million, of which all ROSA chapters are expected to come up with 10 per cent of the funding, Professor Hall said the rest would come from partnerships with private sector groups and Foundations.

[dante2308]

Work to Continue to Maintain Category One Status at Airports
KINGSTON(JIS)
Thursday, May 31, 2007

Minister of Housing, Transport Water and Works, Robert Pickersgill has said that the Ministry along with the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, would do all the necessary work to ensure that the island's Category One rating at the two international airports is maintained.

Making his contribution to the 2007/08 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, yesterday (May 30), the Minister said that a contract has been signed to manufacture and deliver a new Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network Switch (AFTN).

"This AFTN switch will result in an improved computerised message handling system, resulting in improved safety for incoming and outgoing carriers. An Automatic Message Handling System, which will be the first in the Caribbean region and one of the most advanced air Traffic and Aeronautical Information Services systems in the world, will be installed," said Mr. Pickersgill.

He also informed the House that construction would commence for two modern stand-alone air traffic control towers at the Norman Manley and Sangster International airports.

"The construction of the first of these towers will be at the Sangster International Airport and will commence in October 2007," said Mr. Pickersgill.

In addition, he noted that during the period 2007/08, it is expected that the Alternate Microwave Link would be fully operational.

[dante2308]

Lee Chin joins pantheon of great North American philanthropists
Al Edwards
Friday, June 08, 2007




The opening of the Michael Lee Chin Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) Crystal in Toronto marked an historic occasion and saw the Jamaican- born mutual fund titan join the great North American philanthropists such as JD Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon as a significant benefactor to the arts.

The 175,000 square foot Michael Lee Chin Crystal will be one of the landmarks of Toronto. It is part of the CDN$270 million renovation of the Royal Ontario Museum instigated by Dianne Weston. Lee Chin, lead principal of AIC and Chairman of Jamaica's NCB, is the single largest donor to the project, weighing in with Cdn$30 million. The Michael Lee Chin Crystal came in at a cost of Cdn$135 million.

Designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, the crystal comprises five interlocking, self-supporting prismatic structures that interface with, but are not attached to, the original historic ROM buildings. Libeskind has a reputation for designing eclectic buildings and this one is certainly that. Containing no right angles, it stands as a monument to the meeting of antiquity with perpetuity.

The aluminium and glass-covered Michael Lee Chin Crystal has seven collection galleries on four floors, two special exhibition spaces, new retail and dining facilities, as well as the museum's new main entrance. A large three-storey atrium named after Lee Chin's mother Hyacinth Gloria Chen will host special events.

The Michael Lee Chin story is the stuff of legend.He left Jamaica to study civil engineering at Canada's McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in 1970. On completing his studies he decided to become a mutual fund salesman and excelled in that arena.

Lee Chin adheres to the Warren Buffett mantra, "Buy, Hold and Prosper". Buffett maintains that investors should buy into strong growth industries and hold them for the long term. This has proven very successful for the Berkshire Hathaway boss, who is the second richest American citizen.

Paying his dues as a salesman, Lee Chin audaciously invested Cdn$500,000 to buy Mackenzie Financial Corporation stock back in 1983. From his profits, she bought a small investment firm called AIC.

Starting with AIC Advantage Fund which contained under Cdn$1 million in assets, Lee Chin was able throughout the 80s and 90s to grow AIC into one of the most successful mutual fund companies in Canada. In 1994 alone, AIC experienced a whopping 34 per cent growth in assets, more than three times the industry growth rate.
At its height, AIC had assets under management of Cdn$14 billion.

In 2002, Lee Chin bought Jamaica's National Commercial Bank for US$160 million. At the time, it was reporting profits of US$6 million. Last year it reported profits of US$86 million.
Over the last five years, Lee Chin has invested approximately US$800 million in the Caribbean. His interests in the region range from financial services, telecoms, health care,real estate and tourism.

Speaking with Caribbean Business Report from Toronto's Park Hyatt Hotel, Lee Chin said: "The opening of the Michael Lee Chin Crystal is, for me, a very humbling moment because I am paying homage to my mother and father in the efforts and sacrifices they made in keeping their family together and setting standards for them. They have not taken a vacation in twenty-nine years and have shown an unwavering commitment to their family. For me this is a great moment in my life because my mother is being saluted by Canada."

Canada's art scene is enjoying a renaissance and the Michael Lee Chin Crystal seems to be a testament to that. Commenting on the new edifice, Lee Chin said: "The building itself steps boldly into the future. It is not conservative and, in fact, deviates from tradition, and any time you do so there is a risk, but Daniel Libeskind pulled it off. With an immigrant's name on the building, it will tell the world that Canada is accepting of everybody and that in this country opportunities abound irrespective of your parentage, colour r background.

"I am blessed to have a stage to expunge Jamaica's reputation as a country of crime and violence, but one where we have a reputation for business acumen, kindness, gentleness and philanthrophy."

[dante2308]

Jamaica's fourth cellular licence sold to Solutra
Balford Henry
Friday, June 08, 2007

Minister of Industry,technology, energy and commerce, Phillip Paulwell, says that Jamaica's fourth cellular phone licence has been sold Solutra Jamaica Limited.

Paulwell told the House of Representatives Wednesday that following an extensive due diligence process, undertaken by the Financial Intelligence Division of the Ministry of Finance and Planning, he has issued the new licence to Solutra, formerly Bizcom Technologies Inc.

"The licence is effective June 1, and the full payment of J$510 million will be made by the end of June," the minister said as he spoke in the sectoral debate.

Paulwell said that total spectrum fees collected since liberalisation began in April, 2000 is $4.7 billion, including $4.3 billion from the sale of cellular licences. He said that the total General Consumption Tax(GCT) collected since then is approximately $40 billion, including $18 billion last year.

"There should be no doubt, at this point, that liberalisation of the ICT sector has brought significant investment and revenues," he said.

He said that in recognition of the dynamism of the ICT sector, his ministry has embarked on a series of consultations with major stakeholders, and the public, to inform a policy review leading to the development of a draft Telecommunications policy 2007.

The policy will set the framework for telecommunications as an instrument for national development, improve global competitiveness and efficiency and increase investments.

[Nicodemo]

Amazing jamaican projects!!!

[dante2308]

Local group takes up lead on US$-billion industrial park
By Camilo Thame Business Observer writer
Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Up until now, the creation of an industrial park in Old Harbour to complement the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal that the Government hopes to put there by 2009, has been viewed as a side project. But a group of local businessmen has taken up the initiative to lead the project far beyond initial expectations, with the creation of a billion-dollar mega seaport and industrial park that could employ up to 20,000 individuals, while deepening Jamaica's positioning in manufacturing.

"The development has become a private sector-led initiative," was the reason Esquivel Development Corporation Limited (EDC Limited) gave for its formation in a project proposal, revised last month.

The company, which currently integrates businessmen and landowners from the Old Harbour area, mostly those with access to the waterfront, will take up the responsibility of building "stakeholder support and acquiring proper government zoning, while at the same time work at sourcing funding to carry out proper feasibility and environment impact assessment studies".
The firm will also move to acquire the project financing for the development of the Port and Industrial Park.
PCJ Group technical director, Stephen Wedderburn, told the Business Observer that the project will be a "public/private partnership," but noted that the ultimate goal was to have the project done.

In its current incarnation the plan involves the creation of a port facility spread over 350 hectares of land along the Old Harbour Bay, with the capacity to handle 73 million tons of cargo or 4,000 sea vessels a year, alongside another 350 hectares of heavy industry that would surround the port and LNG terminal that the Government hopes to have in place by 2009.
Pipelines will run directly from the LNG plant to power generators owned by Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and private power companies like Jamaica Energy Partners (JEP).

Importantly, the natural gas will be fed to alumina plants such as Jamalco, located in Clarendon, to facilitate its expansion.
Interestingly, while being converted from the cold liquid, stored at 160 degrees below zero degrees Celsius for ease of transportation, to the warm gas, around 30 degrees above zero, the cooled air that is given off can be used for refrigeration and air-conditioning.

That is why the business model includes the capturing of this cryogenic energy to promote small and medium size businesses and creating employment opportunities based on low-cost energy in food processing, cold storage, industrial gases, mineral processing, petrochemical and high end metal fabrication

Overall, the idea is to create a competitive business environment to woo large local and overseas investors to buy into the plan that could include the conversion of thousands of hectares of land stretching from Portmore to Clarendon Park running south of the highway 2000 corridor.
There is no fix on the value of the total investment, but the cost to construct the port yard alone is estimated at just under US$2 billion.

[dante2308]

Nine firms go after LNG floating terminal contract
By Camilo Thame Business Observer writer
Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Nine firms have responded to the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica's (PCJ's) call for bidders to finance and provide a floating terminal that would receive and deliver natural gas for the island's energy needs.

But the process to identify potential bidders on the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, which began a month ago, has been pushed back by at least a month, although the state-run agency believes it will be able to complete the entire bidding process by October.

PCJ Group technical director, Stephen Wedderburn, did not name the bidders, but said they were "primarily companies involved in LNG shipping", highlighting that the firm likely to be chosen at the end of the process will "have to have the technical capability".
The prequalification process should have been completed last Friday, when the nine potential bidders would have been issued with information memorandum and request for proposals (RFP).

Wedderburn said delays would push back the project by a few weeks, although he believed the project would still come on line by 2009.
It will take 18 to 24 months to deliver the facility after a firm is identified, Wedderburn said in a telephone interview on Monday. "We should to be able to make an announcement by October this year."
This would place the date for delivering the floating plant to the last quarter of 2009, making it possible for the state to meet the deadline set for the US$1.6-billion expansion of Jamalco's alumina facilities located in Clarendon.

The expansion will nearly double the Clarendon plant's capacity to 2.3 million tonnes a year, up from 1.3 million tonnes, but that is predicated on the Jamaican Government's ability to secure the delivery of the cheaper fuel by 2009.
Already, the state has begun searching for "bridging volumes", having been faced with the prospects of not getting natural gas from either Venezuela or Trinidad and Tobago within the required timeframe.

The switch to natural gas in Jamaica, 1.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) in the first instance with a potential for 3.5 million mtpa expected to grow by six per cent each year, has been touted as a major component of the state's plan to diversify energy sources to reduce cost. Last year, Jamaica's oil import bill totalled US$1.7 billion.

In 2005, it was estimated that the bauxite and power generating sectors could utilise 2.4 mtpa, while the transport sector had the capability to convert almost six million barrels of oil it uses each year to 0.7 mtpa of natural gas. Cement production and other refining would take up the rest.

The move would also facilitate the establishment of an industrial park adjacent to the terminal facilities for the erection of Independent Power Producers, use of cryogenic energy and development of industrial projects.
That aspect of the project is currently being facilitated by a private sector-led initiative which proposes the creation of a mega port and the integration of agricultural and residential components in the plan.

[dante2308]

June has really been quite an amazing month for projects in Jamaica. I just wanted to say that the existence of a 2 billion dollar project in an island of 2.7 million people is quite a big deal. But when you consider the other large projects like the billion dollar telecom cables and the 380 million dollar entertainment center and the resort and the mixed use development, you get more investment and job growth in a single year than many places see in a decade. 20,000 jobs out of the 1.5 million person workforce is a significant portion and thats just one project! We could soon see unemployment derived poverty diminish completely.

This is quite an exciting time for Jamaica and it is hopeful to see so much technology driven investment. I'll post about it in detail once more happens, but there have been rumors of an island wide wireless network coming online in the next few years. Such a thing would put Jamaica way ahead of the curve! I was skeptical about Jamaica's investment in IT over the last 5 years especially considering the dot com bust but I'm happy to see it is paying off in a big way. Here is some feel-good news about exports:

Exports up 17%, says JEA
Patrick Foster
Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Exports are up 17.2 per cent for the first two months of this year over the corresponding period last year, according to figures from the Jamaica Exporters' Association (JEA).

Non-traditional exports for the period totalled US$115.8 million, while traditional exports stood at US$224.8 million.
JEA president Marjory Kennedy yesterday said that non-traditional exports reflected the highest growth, registering a 50.4 per cent increase over the same period last year.

Fresh produce, chemicals and scrap metals accounted for the bulk of the non-traditional exports, the JEA president said.

Traditional exports, which showed an increase of 5.2 per cent, had rum, sugar and bauxite as the major commodities.
"Several sectors continue to perform above expectation and we anticipate that this pattern will continue throughout 2007," said Kennedy.

Kennedy was speaking at a press briefing held at the association's Winchester Road office to announce plans for National Exporters' Week to be celebrated from June 24 to June 30.

She said that the week will be celebrated this year under the theme 'Batting for Export' and will end with an awards ceremony at Sabina Park on June 30.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller will officially launch the week, Kennedy said.

[zerokarma]

interesting

[dante2308]

HALF WAY TREE TRANSPORT CENTRE OPENED


Minister Mike Henry addressing the audience at the ceremony

Ministry of Transportation and Works News Site

Amongst much fanfare, the Half Way Tree Transport Centre was opened on Saturday, January 12, 2008.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding who gave the keynote address at the opening used the opportunity to announce that he would be meeting with Belgian investors to begin talks for another major development in the Half Way Tree area to complement the new Half Way Tree Transport Centre.

“We are going to be doing more for Half Way Tree because we recognise the importance of it,” the Prime Minister said.

“There is more that can be done and needs to be done to make Half Way Tree a modern 21st century urban setting with services being offered in a variety of areas,” Mr. Golding announced.

Turning to the JUTC and its use of the Centre, the PM said, ‘as of right now, we are operating with more than 100 buses from the fleet that are out of commission and we will have to build that fleet back up to the capacity that we need in order to provide adequate seats.”

Continuing, the Prime Minister highlighted the need for the government’s intervention in addressing the traffic congestion problem in the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMR).“The nature of the traffic congestion in the Corporate Area is something that is going to undermine our efforts at efficiency and productivity and it is something that will have to be addressed.” In that respect, he has requested that a proposal be brought to Cabinet on how best to deal with the traffic flow in Kingston and its environs.

Mr. Golding thanked the previous PNP administration under whose watch the project was conceptualised and who secured the financing and was responsible for most of its construction. He also thanked the Belgian government for the part they played in making the Centre a reality. He highlighted the favourable financial terms under which the Centre was constructed citing the 80% of the 54 million Euros loan being made available free of interest as a magnanimous gesture. The remaining 20% of the loan will be at a concessionary rate of 4.3%. Repayment will be over a 10 year period at six monthly intervals.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Belgian Ambassador to Jamaica, Mr. Herman Portocarero. He hailed the workers from both Jamaica and Belgium who, he said, ‘made the site incident and accident free.” He noted that this was only possible because of the collective efforts of everyone involved from the start.

For his part, Transport and Works Minister, Mike Henry also thanked the previous administration for the part they played in bringing the project to fruition.

He spoke extensively about measures to be implemented to ease and improve the general flow of traffic within the city. He noted that surveys will be used to determine the extent of additions of physical lane capacity and improvement of critical intersections this year. In this respect, he explained, ongoing surveys are being conducted along several other main corridors such as Molynes Road, Red Hills Road, Hagley Park Road, East Kings House Road, Lady Musgrave Road and Constant Spring Road between Dunrobin Avenue and Manor Park.

Also speaking at the ceremony was former Transport and Works Minister Robert Pickersgill who deputised for Leader of the Opposition, Mrs. Portia Simpson-Miller. He spoke of his administration’s commitment to bettering the lot of the travelling public hence the erection of the Transport Centre. He used the opportunity to thank the various stakeholders, many of whom he worked with closely, who worked to make the Centre a reality. He appealed to the travelling public to take care of the facility as it belonged to all who will use it. He said that the construction of the Centre represented a ‘sound marriage of private/public sector partnership which can only redound to the benefit of all Jamaicans.”

Entertainment for the ceremony was provided by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, ‘One Third’, Half Way Tree Primary School and Sister Marie.

[dante2308]

Big tourism plan for eastern Jamaica
Planned Duckenfield aerodrome to accommodate commercial, private jets

BY INGRID BROWN Observer staff reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, January 29, 2008

An aerodrome equipped with immigration and customs departments to accommodate both international and domestic flights is to be built in Duckenfield, on crown lands bordering Portland and St Thomas, state minister in the office of the Prime Minister Daryl Vaz confirmed yesterday.

Vaz, who has responsibilities for project monitoring and implementation, explained that the development will consist of an 8,000-foot runway which will be ideal for private aircraft and 200-passenger commercial jets.

He explained that the aerodrome, which will have international status, will initially have a small terminal with processing and restroom facilities to be further expanded when the need arises.

"This will open up the eastern end of Jamaica for major tourism investments as well as for commercial activities such as free zones," Vaz said.

The Observer first learnt of the Duckenfield project last Wednesday at a luncheon of business leaders hosted by the newspaper's chairman, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, at the Observer head office in Kingston.

Stewart said he attended a meeting that morning at which the plan, among a number of issues relating to development in Portland, was discussed, and that he was very encouraged by what he heard from the Government officials.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Bruce Golding, was also attended by business mogul Michael Lee Chin, representatives of the Ports Authority of Jamaica, Airports Authority, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Urban Development Corporation (UDC), Immigration and Customs departments, and the Commissioner of Lands.

Yesterday, Vaz told the Observer that during the meeting, Golding mandated the UDC, Airports Authority and the CAA to put together a comprehensive cost analysis to be taken to the Cabinet.

The project is expected to be signed off and sent to Cabinet in time for the new budget in April, and the estimated time from start to finish of the project, once it is approved, Vaz said, is 24-30 months.

The project will, however, be funded by the private sector, and Vaz said he has already begun discussions with Lee Chin, who, he said, is committed to getting the project off the ground.

"By March we should be sitting down again to look at some hard numbers in terms of cost," he said.

The project, he added, will attract investors to Portland, among them "a prospective purchaser of the 1,600-acre Errol Flynn estate" who, he said, came to the island in December and had indicated his willingness to do business here once he could fly his private jet here and avoid the long commute by road to Portland.

Vaz also said that other owners of private jets, who have been buying property in Portland over the past two years, have been lobbying for a proper aerodrome.

He said that other aerodromes across the island will be expanded to accommodate certain types of private aircraft, lighting for night flying and customs and immigration services to allow easier access for tourists and business travellers.

"With what is happening in the world today, you are at a distinct disadvantage if you are to tell someone flying their private jet to Jamaica that you have to land at Norman Manley or Sangster [airports], clear customs and then re-board to fly to Port Antonio to spend a vacation," said Vaz. "That is way old time."

He explained that although the Duckenfield site is about an hour's drive to Port Antonio, it is the most suitable location as determined by the CAA, as other sites examined were ruled out because of cross winds.

"The fact that the land is government-owned would also eliminate the wait for land acquisition or relocation of persons or buildings," he added.

He said the aerodrome will also benefit the marina in Port Antonio which was built by the Port Authority and which has become a white elephant.

"Port Authority spent a lot of money to open the marina with the hope that it would resuscitate Portland and surrounding areas. but it has become a white elephant, and one of the problems is that there is nowhere for yacht owners to fly in and out," he said.