KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton, has hailed the success of the business reform programme, which has made it easier to do business in Jamaica.

He noted that the reform measures have facilitated investments which, he said, “are coming in, in significant numbers.”

“The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector is booming…we will soon become the liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub for the Caribbean…and tourism investments are on the rise,” he pointed out.

Additionally, he noted that many local companies are also investing “in varying degrees,” among them Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL), Lasco Distributors, Unicomer/Courts and Island Grill.

The minister was speaking at the Jamaica Business Development Corporation’s (JBDC) Business Dialogue Forum, held at the University of the West Indies (UWI) regional headquarters, Mona, St Andrew, on Monday.

The reform programme, being undertaken across Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), is being spearheaded by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC), which the minister chairs.

Hylton noted that the “robust” programme, inclusive of legislative enactments and amendments and policy formulation, has resulted in significant improvement in local and global business confidence in Jamaica’s economy.

This has propelled Jamaica seven places up, to 64, in the World Bank’s 2016 Doing Business Report, which also ranks the country among the top 10 most improved economies globally.  

Hylton said he remains optimistic about Jamaica’s future. “From where I sit…I see [investments] coming…and I am excited about where things are headed.”