ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) — Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, says as one of the fastest-growing cities in the Caribbean, Montego Bay is very important to the Government’s growth strategy.

Speaking at the official opening of the GWest Medical Centre in Fairview, Montego Bay on Thursday, Holness pointed out that the city is being positioned as a major centre for business, noting that the goal is to make it “a major hub for commerce in the Caribbean”.

“I am in Montego Bay quite often and for one reason only. I am here because great things are happening in the city. It can now be easily described as the place of choice for successful business endeavours,” he said.

The prime minister noted that investments such as the GWest Medical Centre are the types of businesses needed in a city like Montego Bay, adding that business confidence is high “in this western city”.

Holness, in the meantime, noted that the country is now seeing a bump in employment, adding that “we need a new set of investments to start to take effect on the economy for us to see the growth numbers move”.

“Governments cannot grow the economy. Governments create the environment for growth. Growth is really a function of the private sector. It is businesses that make the decision to invest and take risks… to put up the concrete, or build the innovation in technology, or start some new service. It is the private initiative that really drives economic growth,” the prime minister emphasised. “The function of Government is to create the environment where private initiative can flourish,” he added.

The prime minister also conceded that while the Government has been doing a great deal by way of policies, there is hardly any room for complacency in the quest for economic growth and prosperity. “We need to do more and also do it very quickly so that more people in the private sector will want to take a risk on an investment,” the prime minister said.

Holness said the Government is committed to making the business climate more investor-friendly, adding that “whenever we see businesses opening and I am invited, I try to make an appearance. I want my appearances to be associated with growth”.