Dear Editor,

While I understand that this topic is not a burning one locally, I am struggling to realise what ‘vision’ was given to the Government back in 2009 when the Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan was launched. I am beginning to wonder if this vision had been carefully examined to establish an appropriate time frame needed for the accomplishment of these bold targets.

The Vision 2030 plan was supposed to outline a road map for Jamaica to become a developed country by 2030, but it is evident that the country has not made significant progress toward this goal. Economic growth, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability are just a few areas in which Jamaica has failed to meet the targets set out in the Vision 2030 plan.

This vision boasted plans of making “Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business”. However, more than a decade later, Jamaica has failed to achieve many of the goals set out in the Vision 2030 plan.

The implementation of the elements has been slow, with many of the goals and targets not being achieved. For example, I read where on the Vision 2030 website that the plan aimed to achieve 5 per cent economic growth annually, but Jamaica has only achieved an average of 1 per cent growth in the past decade. I believe this slow growth has been attributed to several factors, including high levels of debt, low levels of investment, and a lack of diversification in the economy.

Another area of concern personally is poverty reduction. The Vision 2030 plan had set a target of reducing the poverty rate from 16.5 per cent in 2007 to 5 per cent by 2030. However, the poverty rate has remained stubbornly high, with around 20 per cent of the population still living below the poverty line. This has been aggravated by high levels of unemployment, particularly among young people.

Additionally, the world has changed significantly since then. The plan needs to be updated to reflect the current global realities, especially after the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy, and Jamaica needs to adjust its development plan to align with the new economic realities.

There is a need for a revamp of the plan to ensure that the goals and targets are achievable and realistic.

Overall, I believe the failure to achieve the Vision 2030 plan highlights the challenges facing Jamaica in terms of achieving sustainable economic growth and development. Evidently much more needs to be done if Jamaica is to achieve its ambitious goals for the future. Going forward, I believe that it is essential for the leaders of the country to use this imminent failure as a lesson to create more realistic goals and put in place more strategic ways the country can try to achieve its long-term development goals.

In the meantime, is Vision 2030 a lost cause?

Ryan Foster

ryanfoster6536@gmail.com