Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, addresses a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on Friday (December 13).
More than 7,000 persons from 98 countries have utilised the Jamaica Trade Information Portal (JTIP) since its launch in May this year.
Stakeholders in Jamaica accounted for 49 per cent usage followed by the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom (UK).
Managed by the Trade Board Limited (TBL), JTIP is a single, authoritative source for trade information relating to import-export regulations, requirements and processes, which businesses can easily access at any time.
It includes information on standards, tariffs, fees, levies and applicable penalties; various authorisations; inspections and verifications and details about trade agreements while highlighting opportunities.
Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on Friday (December 13), Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, said the portal is in keeping with the Government’s commitment to improve the environment for doing business as part of the economic growth thrust.
He argued that in order to achieve sustained growth “we have to change gear and change it fast. This trade information portal has to be a part of the toolkit to facilitate the changes that we need to make”.
“We have to get the bureaucracy out of the way and get growth going. With this, the quality of jobs will improve and the income per person will also increase. That will lead to the sharp increase in per capita income that we need in this country,” he added.
Minister Shaw pointed out that the JTIP not only facilitates trade in goods but services as well, thereby adding value to the economy.
“Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a part of the concept of exporting services, but there are other things that we now have to emphasise, as we have a lot of skilled people coming out of the universities.
“Those skills can be marketed on this platform, and we need to understand that skills and services are something people can stay right here and provide to [clients] all over the world,” he noted.
Persons interested in using the portal can visit https://jamaicatradeportal.gov.jm/.
There are downloadable forms for applications, licences, and permits as well as links to regulatory and various bodies engaged in trade facilitation.
The Jamaica Trade Information Portal project was supported by the Trade Facilitation Support Programme managed by the World Bank Group and funded by nine donor partners.
The partners are Australia, Canada, the European Commission, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Source: JIS
Welcome to the official website of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.
The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce is described as Jamaica's "Business Ministry." It's mandate is to lead the development of policies that will create growth and jobs, while achieving social inclusion and consumer protection. The Ministry, working its stakeholders is primarily responsible for business policy development, monitoring and evaluation, while giving direction and oversight to a cluster of implementing departments and agencies.
We have, therefore, placed much energy and enthusiasm into the development of this website to provide timely information on the Ministry, our agencies and programmes.
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