MINISTER of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie has reaffirmed Government’s commitment to complete work to enhance information transmission before, during, and after a disaster under the Project for Improvement of Emergency Communication System.

The initiative is being funded through a grant agreement with the Government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

“We are committed to completing the project within the timeline that has been agreed on, and we are looking forward to developing the relationship and to ensure that we have a system that will offer the people of Jamaica the kind of network for communicating during natural disasters,” said Minister McKenzie.

He was speaking with Japan’s Ambassador Masaya Fujiwara during a recent courtesy call at the ministry in Kingston.

The project, for which a grant agreement was signed in April 2017, aims to improve Jamaica’s emergency communication system through the procurement of equipment and other inputs.

It will provide an infrastructure and platform to facilitate timely and effective communication between Government agencies and first responders during an emergency.

As part of the undertaking, consultations were held with various stakeholders in emergency communications, including the military, police, firefighters, health authorities, and engagement with the most vulnerable communities islandwide.

With Cabinet’s approval of a bidding document earlier this month, Minister McKenzie said that work will now continue towards the project’s completion.

The Government of Jamaica, as obligated by the agreement, has already concluded the rehabilitation of the repeater sites and identified the locations for installation of the procured equipment.

“This is a welcome part of our resilience and capacity-building, and it will put us in a much better position, at the completion of the project, for us to be able to offer the kind of disaster response that is required from a country like Jamaica. We would not have been able to effectively and efficiently do that without the input and the support of the Japanese Government,” McKenzie said.

Ambassador Fujiwara assured the minister that, “We are ready to work closely with you and your staff in order that the project can be finished within the period expected,” adding that he anticipates further collaboration between the two countries in the area of disaster risk reduction.

“Like Jamaica, Japan is also an island State, and we suffer from natural hazards, and we are very happy to share with you our experience and to learn from your experience, as this exchange is very useful,” he said.

The Project for Improvement of Emergency Communication System was initially for the disbursement of $1.6 billion over four years, but the period has now been extended to the end of next year.

– JIS