Jamaica opens new tech park
The Jamaican government recently opened its new tech park called Portmore Informatics, commissioned by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
Constructed by the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), the 157,000 square feet (sq.ft.) facility complements the 50,000 sq.ft. that previously existed, increasing the BPO space in Portmore by 300%.
Holness said the development emphasized the government’s Global Services sector and aligns with the country’s “strategic objectives to develop Jamaica’s newest parish and to enable its citizens to thrive”.
The Prime Minister added that the four three-storey buildings have already been leased to four companies and currently have over 2,000 employees in place supporting banking and finance, air travel, electronics retail, healthcare telecommunications, E-commerce and energy.
He noted that Portmore is ideal for BPO developments, as it has the highest concentration of university graduates in Jamaica and is, therefore, ready to tap into the knowledge economy through this industry, adding that Portmore is also “well-positioned to become the Silicon Valley of Jamaica”.
“That is why I have supported and encouraged the Port Authority and other private-sector companies to build these facilities, so that you can start to now really create the knowledge economy in Portmore,” the Prime Minister said.
Jamaica’s IT-BPO industry is the “fastest growing employment-creation business” and currently employs 52,000 citizens.
