Jamaica PM wants to grow trade with Cayman
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman - Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness said during his recent visit here for the 60th anniversary of the Cayman Islands Constitution that he hopes to see more trade between his country and Cayman. Speaking at one of several events he attended, he said he had engaged in bilateral talks with Premier Alden McLaughlin to see how the trading relationship could improve and to remove stumbling blocks such as the visa requirements.
“I think that there should be talks on this matter as the Jamaican economy improves, as we are finding labour for our people,” he said. “The relationship between our two countries will slowly be redefined to the point where a visa may not even be necessary. That’s the objective; that’s what we want to do.”
With Jamaica experiencing an unprecedented level of economic activity, with 17 consecutive quarters of growth, Holness said that it was time for Jamaica to be reaching out and having its trade deals with its neighbours. “Stronger trade with Jamaica and Cayman is now quite possible and necessary,” he said.
Holness also asked Jamaicans living here to invest in Jamaica as the future of the country’s economy is promising: “The only way forward now is up, and I feel the confidence in the economy,” he told the diaspora.
He accepted that things were still challenging, however, and that despite having the best performing stock market in the world for the last two years, Jamaica still faced difficulties such as crime and global climate change. Holness said that the country has one of the highest murder rates in the world, but the crime was fuelled by poverty and is beginning to fall as the economy improves.
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