KINGSTON – Cooperation between Jamaica and Panama in the areas of education and training continues to deepen as it relates to the development of the Logistics Hub Initiative.
This was revealed by Industry Minister Anthony Hylton, at the close of a logistics hub symposium here on Wednesday.
“We (have) talked about the multilingual skills that have to be developed and we are working already with Panama to train them to come here for English and we go there for the Spanish. Training (is) already beginning in the zones in the areas that are critical to the success of our logistics hub,” he said.
According to Hylton, Jamaica stands ready to collaborate with partners both locally and internationally for the continued development of the island, noting that “Jamaica is friends with everyone and enemy to none”.
Director of Marketing, Colon Free Trade Zone, Panama, Sonia Antón, stressed her company’s support in assisting Jamaica to become a key player in the logistics hub industry.
“We are going to give 100 per cent of our support to your country and all the countries that need (it), our hands are open,” she said.
The Colón Free Trade Zone is a large entity near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal, dedicated to re-exporting a wide variety of merchandise to Latin America and the Caribbean. It is the largest free zone in the Americas and the second largest in the world. Created in 1948, the free zone houses 1, 751 merchants, and receives more than 250,000 visitors per year from all parts of the World.
Panama and Jamaica have maintained official diplomatic relations since July 1966.
The Jamaica Logistics Hub is central to the government’s economic growth strategy, aimed at driving investment and creating sustainable employment over the long term.
Jamaica will seek to capitalise on its prime location for increased maritime and aviation traffic through the region, with the opening of the expanded Panama Canal in 2015. (CMC)