There is still cause for celebration

 Observer column published MON 4 April 2022

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Jamaica PM Andrew Holness welcomed by
US Vice President Kamala Harris 

We can become so mired in the negative news of the day that we do not celebrate Jamaica’s many wins in recent weeks. We could see that warm genuine smile on the face of US Vice President Kamala Harris as she welcomed our Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Ministers Senator Kamina Johnson Smith and Dr Nigel Clarke to the White House.

Indeed, Vice President Harris remarked, “As a point of personal privilege, I grew up going to Jamaica.  My family — half of my family is from St. Ann Parish in Jamaica. And I know I’ve shared that history with millions of Americans who have their roots through the generations in Jamaica.”

PM Holness noted in his response, “Madam Vice President, let me say that you have been a source of inspiration and great pride for many Caribbean people — in particular, our young women in the region. And we are, indeed, seeing an increase in the political participation of young women. And this diversity in the political space will augur well for the — for the region. “

According to a White House report, “The Vice President underscored that the U.S.-Jamaica partnership is a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and that this year, the 60^th anniversary of diplomatic ties between our two nations, we are committed to strengthening our ties.”

Our delegation did not return home empty-handed, as Vice President Harris announced a US$20 million grant over a five-year period “to strengthen and expand key industries for Jamaica”, and a further US$10 million for the support of violence reduction with special focus on our at-risk youth.

We saw that Ambassador Audrey Marks was very much at the table of talks and thank her for her efforts in keeping Jamaica front of mind.

It is a big deal that our small country, population three million, is afforded valuable time on the busy agenda of the White House. However, let us not forget that our geographical location at the crossroads of the Americas, our proud history as a strong democracy and our cultural impact are notable factors. Let us take the goodwill and the gifts as a challenge to make Vice President Harris even more proud of her roots, as we tackle crime and violence.

Jamaican leadership

Dr Nigel Clarke 

We were proud to learn that Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke was last week elected unanimously as chairman of the Board of Governors of Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) for 2022. Dr Clarke was nominated by the governor for Paraguay, Oscar Llamosas Díaz, and seconded by the temporary alternate governor for Canada, Andrew Hurst.

Diaz is quoted by Jamaica Observer Senior Reporter Andrew Laidley as saying, “because of his great leadership and his ability to bolster public finances in his country we are sure that his vision, commitment and leadership will also guide us in this process to renew and strengthen the IDB Group as the needs of our countries and the region currently demands.”

During the White House visit, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen congratulated Dr Clarke on his election as the Chair of the IADB Group’s Board of Governors.

We also learned that the Government is proposing Senator Kamina Johnson Smith for the post of Secretary General of the Commonwealth. Although there are mutterings about our move because the incumbent Baroness Patricia Scotland had been recommended at a Caricom meeting, we should be aware that there has been controversy around her governance of the organization. The election of the Secretary General will be made during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, to take place from 20th to 25th June 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda.

We wish Senator Johnson Smith success in her campaign as she is widely respected as an accomplished professional.

We are in recovery mode

STATIN last week reported that for the fourth quarter of 2021, Jamaica’s economy grew by 6.7 percent. The Institute noted that the services and goods producing industry registered a 9.5 percent growth. STATIN said the relaxation of some COVID-19 measures, including the easing of global travel restrictions and reduced curfews hours may have impacted this growth. Hotels and restaurants represented the fastest recovering sector, with gains of 79.5 percent. May we continue to recover, but please don’t ditch your mask.

Vincent Hosang UWI Awards

Entrepreneurship awards at UWI: Douglas Lindo (Chairman, Vincent HoSang Entrepreneurship Programme), Dr. David McBean, (Executive Director, Mona School of Business and Management), Dr. Leighton Ellis, 3rd Place Winner, Trae-Ana Wilkins, 1st Place Winner, Joshua Anderson, 2nd Place Winner, Christopher Brown, (General Manager, Project Management Unit, Development Bank of Jamaica) and Tamra Thomas, (Programme Coordinator, Vincent HoSang Entrepreneurship Programme).

The Vincent Hosang UWI Venture Competition, offering J$1 million cash and prizes attracted eighty entrants, with eight finalists emerging to deliver their pitch earlier this year. The winners were: first place ZRise, an undergraduate team from CARIMAC who developed an online marketplace platform that connects businesses and brands with Caribbean creative influencers and content creators; second, Fresh Fuel, an undergraduate team from the School of Engineering; third, Team Ouro Preto represented by Dr. Leighton Ellis a UWI Faculty member also from the School of Engineering. Fresh Fuel is a start-up looking into the development of modular anaerobic digestion technology for implementation in Jamaica and across the wider Caribbean, while Ouro Preto is a business that converts organic waste to composting material for gardening and farming purposes.

Other prizes included the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation Award for Corporate Social Responsibility won by Team T&S Delivery and the Baymac Award for Digital Transformation and Implementation which was won by Team Swaze.

At the finals, Mrs. Sabrina HoSang Jordan, CEO, Caribbean Food Delights announced that the HoSang family will be contributing US$20,000 in additional support to the Vincent HoSang Entrepreneurship Programme at the Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM).

Dr. David McBean, Executive Director of the MSBM in his remarks stated, “We remain dedicated to ensuring that the UWIVC moves business ideas from mere concepts up the value chain to commercially viable entities that are market ready as we work towards playing a more integral role in the strengthening of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

This was supported by representatives of co-sponsors, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation Chairman Patricia Duncan Sutherland and Nari Williams-Singh, Director General of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority.

The excellent Donna-Marie Rowe

Donna-Marie Rowe receiving Gleaner Honour Award for JIS 

We note the departure of Donna-Marie Rowe from the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), after 21 years at the organisation, the last thirteen of which she served as Executive Director. We know that in yesteryear this post is vacated quite swiftly as soon as there is a change of administration. It is a reflection of Mrs Rowe’s excellence that she was retained in the top post for 13 years under both PNP and JLP governments.

When you Google “Jamaica,” JIS is usually near the top, having developed under Mrs Rowe’s watch into a dependable and timely source of information on our various Government ministries and agencies.

Clearly Donna-Marie Rowe will continue to make her mark wherever she decides to go. We will miss her at the JIS, and we are grateful for the high standard she has set at the organisation.