Above: Industry Minister Anthony Hylton and Sonia Anton, Director of Marketing, Colon Free Trade Zone in Panama (JIS Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica and Panama are already planning to work together to develop the former’s planned logistics hub project, according to Jamaican Industry Minister Anthony Hylton.

Jamaica’s project is, in part, planned to take advantage of the new, larger ships that will be able to pass through the Panama Canal following its expansion, which is currently underway.

“There is in the process, very advanced, a formal agreement between Jamaica and Panama that is …  being worked out,” Hylton said.
The Minister, who was speaking during the closing session of a two-day Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and JAMPRO symposium addressing the project, said there was already “significant cooperation” on the project at the levels of education and training.

“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,” he said. “Training [is] already beginning in the zones in the areas that are critical to the success of our logistics hub.”

Sonia Anton, director of marketing for Panama’s Colon Free Trade Zone, said her company was working to support Jamaica’s plans 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.