Holness: “Public-Private Partnerships essential to Jamaica’s development”

Prime Minister Andrew Holness asserts that Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are essential to Jamaica’s growth and development ambitions.

“As a people, we can’t move forward unless we have a strong and innovative entrepreneurial private sector that will come and work with the Government to create the public goods that we all benefit from,” said Holness.

The Prime Minister was speaking during a contract signing event between the Government and Rio Cobre Water Limited for the construction of a new 77-million-dollar water treatment plant in Content, St. Catherine.

The facility, which is anticipated to be the second largest in Jamaica, will have the capacity to transport 15 million imperial gallons of water, which will assist roughly 150,000 clients.

Holness added that the government had maintained a strategic approach to its PPP Policy, noting that the arrangements have helped attract private finance to develop vital public infrastructure.

“We have successfully used PPPs to develop our airports, seaports and highways, and we have used it in power generation. Now [we’re] using it in water, and we intend to use it in the provision of housing, educational services, infrastructure [and] in health as well.”

According to the Prime Minister, PPPs have also brought “dead assets back to life.”

“We had them (the assets) on our balance sheet, but they were really of no value because we weren’t able to use them. We weren’t able to get them operational, and we didn’t have the money to bring those assets to life. Using PPPs, we have brought life to those assets,” Holness emphasized.