ROSE HALL, St James

PRESIDENT and CEO of Global Outsourcing Solutions Ltd Davon Crump says despite the growth of the business processing outsourcing (BPO) sector, the country remains unattractive to investors who want to enter the industry.

“As a country, we are very unattractive compared to some of these countries that are trying to attract the very same clients. We simply are not as competitive. Most other countries are rolling out the red carpet in trying to woo these clients, but we are not,” said Crump, a former president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI).

He argued that several countries in the region, including Honduras, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, are doing “all the right things” to get their share of the BPO pie, and making great strides in becoming a BPO service destination.

“In those countries the governments have realised the importance of providing mass employment to grow their economies and the importance of the BPO, so they are growing at a faster rate than us,” he stressed.

Crump, who was speaking at the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry Economic Linkages Forum at the Rose Hall Convention Centre, last week, cited the development of special economic zones and turnkey solutions as ways in which the sector can achieve growth and sustainability.

Jamaica currently employs roughly 17,000 persons in the BPO sector, and it is projected that the industry will grow by about 30 per cent annually.

According to Crump, the information communication and technology sector raked in US $230 million in direct earnings, and another US$234 million indirectly. He said the sector is projected to bring in approximately US$330 million in direct earnings this year.

But he emphasised that much more can be achieved if the sector gets “a well-needed push”.

“In my opinion, very little is being done to give this sector some

well-needed push, and if we don’t do more we will again miss the boat. We continue to see tourism as that golden goose, which currently employees approximately 45,000 in that sector; however, the BPO sector is laying some golden eggs also, and must be taken seriously,” he argued.

The forum, which focused on the agriculture, BPO and tourism sectors, was staged in an effort to facilitate meaningful dialogue between industry players and members of the chamber, in an effort to create and deepen synergies between those sectors.

“Agriculture, Tourism and BPO were selected because they are the main ones supporting industry and commerce in the region,” MBCCI President Gloria Henry noted.

“Western Jamaica is the nucleus for tourism and BPO, but these sectors also provide significant support to the national economy,” said Henry, adding that St James, like the

other parishes in the western region, boasts a mix of agriculture and

agro-processing businesses.

Meanwhile, marketing consultant in the Ministry of Agriculture, Derrick Deslandes, told the gathering that the parish of St James is not taking advantage of the high demand, both locally and internationally, for fresh fruits.

He urged businesses in the region to get more involved in the agricultural sector, stressing that Brand Jamaica is very strong in sections of the overseas market, particularly in the United Kingdom.

“Montego Bay as a geographical space has not focused a lot on agriculture in recent times. Montego Bay has the best lands in Jamaica to produce pepper, ginger and banana… We are just not producing enough fruits and vegetables to supply the hotels and the overseas markets,” he argued.

Other panellists at the forum, which was held under the theme: ‘Exploring Economic Linkages,’ were Xerox Business Executive Sean Williams; head of Linkages Hub, Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, Carolyn McDonald-Riley; and Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee Jnr, director of Mona Informatics Institute.

Following the forum, Columbus Business Solutions (CBS), now Cable & Wireless Business, created an experience centre where it demonstrated a number of its solutions and gave clients a chance to touch, feel and interact with the technology.