KINGSTON, Jamaica— Prime Minister Andrew Holness, while hailing his recent official visit to India a “resounding success”, has outlined a series of positive results which he expects to flow from his trip to the South Asian country.

Holness told Parliament on Tuesday that India and other countries face similar development challenges as Jamaica. However, he noted that solutions have been charted which are customised to specific conditions.

“We are crafting a south – south partnership with India to accelerate our technological advancement to support our economic development.  What does this mean for the average Jamaican? This trip will aid Jamaica’s push to cut the time it takes to conduct financial transactions, the time it takes in the bank lines, or to collect PATH payments or do any business with government”, the prime minister said.

Holness said that Jamaica’s partnerships with India, will also result in great training opportunities for young people in tech, cyber, and Artificial Intelligence— areas which are likely to dominate the future job market.

Holness said as a small island developing state, forging global partnerships is essential to Jamaica’s development.

“This official visit to India, the first by a Jamaican prime minister, was a resounding success, and marks the beginning of a new era in Jamaica-India relations. India, as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and a leader on the global stage, offers Jamaica immense opportunities. This visit has unlocked the door to deepening our partnership and strengthening our cooperation in the years ahead,” the prime minister underscored.

Holness said his administration sees foreign policy as an important exercise to ensure Jamaica’s international and global political interests are serviced multilaterally and bilaterally.

He added that the Government believes that foreign policy is also a power instrument for the promotion of Jamaica’s economic interests.

“In the past era in which some still reside, the measure of a successful trip would be a read-out of grants and gifts. It is always good to secure those, however, the era in which this administration has moved Jamaica is that of seeking our economic independence to secure our growth and prosperity as a nation. Jamaica’s growth and prosperity in this era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, of Cyber and Artificial intelligence will depend heavily on how fast we can integrate technology, in our economy and society, not only as consumers of technology but also producers of technology,” Holness reasoned.

The prime minister also placed on record in the House of Representatives what he described as his “profound gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and the people of India for their warm hospitality and their commitment to forging stronger ties with Jamaica.”

Holness said as Jamaica navigates an increasingly complex global landscape, the partnership between Jamaica and India will be key to unlocking new opportunities for growth, development, and cultural exchange.