Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) is projecting to generate some US$208 billion in capital expenditure and 7,000 jobs in the 2006 to 2007 fiscal year, which ends March 31 this year, says Sancia Bennett Templer, acting president of that organisation.

Ian Allen/Staff Photographer - A view of scenic Holleywell. Jampro aims to place heavy emphasis on development and the environment.

She said that while JAMPRO's success is measured by the number of jobs it creates through its investment projects, "The agency is seeking to implement new programmes and initiatives which look at an integrated approach to development while focusing on the need to maintain the quality of the environment."

Hence, the ability of the country to attract sustainable levels of investment to Jamaica will be dependent on the standard and quality of the environment.

She noted that Jamaica's leading investment sector, tourism, which contributed over 13 per cent of gross domestic product or US$1.9 billion in revenue in 2006, is heavily dependent on Jamaica's pristine and unique offering of natural resources. She added that the "nation's economic welfare rests heavily on the workable partnership between economic development and environmental quality."

Mrs. Templer was speaking last Thursday in Kingston, where JAMPRO, in association with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), hosted an interactive seminar at the Knutsford Court Hotel.

In the same breath, the JAMPRO acting president has commended the work of the Government in its efforts to balance development and the environment. "The Govern-ment's commitment to the environment is reflected in the existence and enforcement of preservation laws and regulations, as well as the number of protocols and treaties which have been ratified," emphasised Mrs. Templer.

commits resources

JAMPRO continues to commit its resources through its facilitative work as it tries to ensure that prospective investors are provided with information and directed to the appropriate agencies, so that no policies, standards or regulations are breached during the investment process.

Speaking at the same seminar, Alcan professor at the University of the West Indies, Anthony Clayton, is urging the Government to make some changes to the current structure of the National Environment Planning Agency (NEPA).

The professor is suggesting the replacement of the existing tripartite structure with a single board. This would require a real integration of planning and the environment, and NEPA being empowered to use a wider range of instruments.

A proper structure plan for Jamaica is needed with some land areas zoned for development (fast-track proposals, minimising processing and delays), other areas put completely off-limits, and the third category where proposals would be looked at on a case-by-case basis.