MoBay Free Zone chair backs Holness’ plan to relocate BPO facilities inland

WESTERN BUREAU:

Mark Hart, chairman of the Montego Bay Free Zone Company, has endorsed the Government’s long-term plan to relocate business process outsourcing (BPO) operations from the coastal Freeport peninsula to purpose-built facilities along the new highway corridor.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, in his recent Budget Debate presentation in Parliament, outlined a sweeping vision for reshaping the economic geography of western Jamaica as major road infrastructure comes on stream.

“At the same time, the soon-to-be completed Montego Bay Perimeter Road is fundamentally reshaping the economic geography of the wider region, opening new corridors and unlocking additional lands for investment that were previously out of reach,” Holness said.

The prime minister explained that the Government intends to move outsourcing and light industrial operations from the existing free zone into new facilities designed for the modern digital economy.

“Our plan is to gradually relocate the BPO and light industrial activities in the free zone to new, purpose-built facilities along the Montego Bay Perimeter Road, catalysing vibrant economic activity along that emerging corridor while providing modern, world-class, purpose-designed spaces,” he said.

Hart said the proposal aligns with the reality that the Montego Bay Free Zone, which dates back more than four decades, must evolve to remain globally competitive.

“The free zone is over 40-odd years old – about 42 years, I believe – and some of the buildings are very old. Some of them are newer, but the campus is not in keeping with some of the competition that we’re facing,” he added.

Holness noted that relocating the BPO facilities would unlock valuable coastal real estate on the Freeport peninsula for higher-value development.

“This will free up prime waterfront lands on the Freeport peninsula for their highest and best use,” the prime minister said.

MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT

He said the Government envisions a major mixed-use development, transforming the area.

“We envision a landmark mixed-use development – commercial, retail, and premium residential – seamlessly woven into the urban fabric of the city, comparable in ambition and elegance to the celebrated Brickell waterfront in Miami,” Holness said during his presentation.

The project would also include a major cultural component.

“And at the very heart of this vision will be a performing arts theatre – purpose-built to showcase the full richness of Jamaican music, folklore, and culture to the world,” he added.

Holness indicated that the redevelopment vision extends beyond the Freeport peninsula and would transform Montego Bay’s entire coastal corridor.

“What we are proposing is the transformation of the entire coastal corridor – from Freeport, sweeping eastward to Harmony Beach Park, along the waterfront, and all the way to the iconic Hip Strip,” he said.

The prime minister said the stretch of coastline would be integrated into a single world-class tourism and leisure district.

“This breathtaking stretch of Caribbean coastline will be unified into one seamless, world-class leisure, entertainment, and shopping corridor,” Holness told Parliament.

Under the proposal, traffic infrastructure would also be redesigned to create a more pedestrian-friendly waterfront environment.

“The ‘top road’ will be dualised to handle traffic efficiently while the ‘bottom road’ will be progressively pedestrianised as will the Hip Strip itself,” he said.

VIBRANT WATERFRONT

Holness added that the goal was to create a vibrant public waterfront linking key tourism assets in the resort city.

“The result will be a walkable waterfront of rare beauty and vitality – connecting the cruise port all the way to Harmony Beach Park and Doctor’s Cave Beach.”

Hart, who was among the early tenants at the facility through his apparel manufacturing businesses, told The Gleaner that the free zone had already undergone several major economic transitions.

“I was one of the first tenants here with my apparel businesses,” he said, noting that the complex initially housed garment factories before shifting to early data-processing operations and eventually, the modern outsourcing sector.

Today, the industry has evolved significantly, he noted.

“Now it’s fully digitised and much more advanced than keystroke entry. We’re doing complex customer service solutions, financial transactions, work for the health industries, and even software development,” Hart said.

He added that relocating to modern facilities could help Jamaica position itself for the next phase of the industry’s evolution, particularly as technologies such as artificial intelligence emerged.

“I don’t think AI alone is going to take away everybody’s job,” Hart said. “It’s going to become a way of really upscaling and enhancing the services that we can provide.”

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com