Johnson Smith touts Jamaica as ‘place to be’ for int’l investors
Published:Saturday | January 31, 2026 | 12:10 AMKimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter
PANAMA CITY, Panama:
Jamaica’s foreign minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, has issued a clarion call to international investors to partner in the strategic redevelopment of the island’s western corridor, drawing on a decade of tax stability and a historic dip in homicides to bolster her case.
Johnson Smith, who was a panellist for discussions on global fragmentation and the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean, said “it is the perfect time to do it” following the country’s “significant” macroeconomic reforms.
“We have massive opportunities for rebuilding coming out of our recovery in the western part of the island. So, if you’re in construction, if you’re in digital services, if you’re in knowledge process outsourcing or business process outsourcing, animation or any of those interesting new areas, Jamaica’s the place to be,” said Johnson Smith, while sharing the stage at the International Economic Forum in Panama City with Javier Martínez-Acha, minister of foreign affairs of Panama, and Gabriela Sommerfeld, minister of foreign affairs and human mobility of Ecuador.
‘Great opportunity’
According to Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s recovery effort in the west, where six parishes were devastated by Category-5 Hurricane Melissa in October, is going “phenomenally”.
She noted that the recovery process has provided a “great opportunity for investment”, pointing to the stable positive outlook ratings from Standard and Poor’s, Fitch and Moody’s.
The foreign affairs and foreign trade minister said the ratings are an indication of where Jamaica is with 94 per cent restoration of electricity and telecoms.
“We’re now focusing on rebuilding, in a resilient manner, and that’s providing a massive investment opportunity,” she said.
Johnson Smith told the session, attended by hundreds including key industry and commerce players, that the country’s macroeconomic reforms are bolstered by strong legal systems with separation between the judiciary and the executives.
“So there is certainty in the political and the judicial environment, businesspeople like certainty, in terms of the ability to solve disputes and we’re able to deliver that,” she said, pointing to the Privy Council as Jamaica’s final appellate court.
‘Peaceful environment’
Further, she said the Holness administration is delivering “a peaceful environment where security costs have reduced significantly”, boasting of an overall 42 per cent reduction in homicides and a 54-per-cent drop year on year for January.
She used a “strong telecoms environment” and the touted “no new taxes for the past 10 years” to support her argument and at the same time made claim of a transparent system of investments, and expansion of the ports.
The minister said Jamaica is “geo-strategically located” and has a young English-speaking and trainable population, and a strong, stable trade environment.
“We are 10 per cent across CARICOM. I think people are saying 10 is the new zero. So we have the 10 per cent tariffs with the US and significant exemptions also,” she said, noting that while the new universal baseline tariff has impacted the region, Jamaica continues to leverage its strategic trade frameworks to shield key sectors.
“So, we’re open [for business]. We have tourism which is, of course, no, not even seasonal. We’re open all year. We’re 80 per cent re-opened after Melissa and the 20 per cent should be onboard by the end of March this year. So welcome to Jamaica. It’s a good time to visit. It’s a good time to invest,” she said.