Jamaica is looking to strengthen its partnership with the European Union (EU) to ramp up investments for local infrastructure projects among others with a three-day visit of a high-level EU delegation commencing today, January 23.

The delegation will be led by the director of Latin America and the Caribbean at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) Félix Fernández-Shaw and the regional director of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Yves Ferreira.

The EU team is set to engage in high-level discussions with government officials, financial institutions, European businesses and other stakeholders to attract public and private investments.

The mission’s main aim will be to explore potential infrastructural investments at the Port of Kingston. This initiative aligns with Jamaica’s Logistics Hub Initiative, which aims to position the country’s as a regional logistics and transportation hub.

Marianne Van Steen, EU ambassador to Jamaica, described the three-day visit as “a significant step forward in fostering collaboration and promoting investments under the Global Gateway Investment Agenda”.

The Global Gateway Investment Agenda provides opportunities for potential investment in infrastructure projects to help address the region’s infrastructural needs while promoting economic growth and social cohesion.

The EU investment delegation will also focus on digital transformation, climate change and the logistics hub, which represents crucial pillars for sustainable development and global economic growth.

There will also be engagements with the Jamaica Stock Exchange to explore a strategic partnership for the issuance of a green bond, which is anticipated to yield substantial involvement from European investors upon its issuance.

Other entities to be engaged by the delegation are the Development Bank of Jamaica and the National Water Commission to spearhead climate change initiatives focused on energy and water sanitation.