Reading Time: 6 minutes

Keith Duncan is passionate about Jamaica, with an unwavering commitment to and belief in the country’s potential for greatness.

It is this dedication that has seen the JMMB Group Chief Executive Officer contributing his time, knowledge, skills and resources in service to the country in the areas of Finance, Business and Social Development.

For his contribution, Duncan has been appointed a member of the Order of Jamaica (OJ), which is the nation’s fifth-highest honour.

He is one of three Jamaicans to receive the OJ this year, which will be presented by Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen, at the National Honours and Awards ceremony at King’s House on October 20.

“It feels good because I’d like my work to be an example for others…to be a good Jamaican citizen willing to work hard and put in the effort for your country,” Duncan tells JIS News. “There are many people who have worked hard for Jamaica. I am honoured to be a part of that grouping that is recognised like this. At the end of the day, it’s all about creating a better Jamaica for my children, my grandchildren to come, and generations to come, because Jamaica has great possibilities, great potential.”

He emphasises the importance of citizens putting in the hard work to ensure that Jamaica can achieve its true greatness.

“Everybody knows that Jamaica is way above the size of our island in terms of impact globally. So, make us translate that into real gains for our people. We’re taking down crime levels so that we can improve the lives of our Jamaican brothers and sisters. That is where we want to go; to make Jamaica realise its potential, and we’re on a pathway to getting there,” Duncan says.

Over the years, Duncan has played a role in the implementation of several economic initiatives such as the Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX) and the National Debt Exchange (NDX).

He served as chairman of the Economic Programme Oversight Committee, charged with monitoring the implementation of Jamaica’s economic reform measures, and now chairs its successor, the Fiscal Commission Advisory Committee.

The JMMB CEO also chaired the National Youth Service (NYS) between 2003 and 2009 and co-founded the Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE) programme.

He also served as President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) between 2019 and 2022.

During his tenure, he conceptualised and developed Project, a social and economic transformation initiative in partnership with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), which aims to uplift and transform vulnerable communities across Jamaica.

Dr Duncan steered the PSOJ at a time when the country faced its greatest crisis, COVID-19, helping to navigate the country through the impacts of the pandemic.

“We went through basically a lockdown of the economy, but we had no choice but to step up, because we had to figure out a way to get the economy back up and running. As the president of the private sector, I had a critical role to play in engaging with all stakeholders,” he tells JIS News.

 “We had to be at the table [with the government], figuring out solutions. We became a part of the COVID Economic Recovery Task Force, led by [former Finance and Public Service Minister] Dr Nigel Clarke, to develop the plan for the recovery of the economy. Jamaica was able to recover to pre-COVID levels in like two years and nine months,” he says.

“This is the fastest in the region, probably in the globe, in terms of recovery, but that was a coordinated, collaborative effort across public sector, private sector, with all hands on deck, working together,” he points out.

Duncan notes that the private sector has a critical role to play in nation-building by driving growth and innovation.

“You have to invest your capital in businesses for the economy to grow. The government is a facilitator; the government has to put in infrastructure, ensure that education works, ensure that health works, ensure that you have the roads and the water, ensure you have public transportation,” he says.

“The private sector is the engine of growth; they need to be at the table with a vision, ensuring that they’re innovative, ensuring that they can keep pace with the rest of the world, so that they can drive growth in the economy and create value-added jobs for people. But the government needs to educate the people so that they can take on value-added jobs that can earn,” he emphasises.

Duncan, who was recently appointed a government Senator, tells JIS News that his focus is on building Jamaica.

“The way this world is shaping up right now, we have to protect Jamaica. It’s so risky out there; the geopolitical risks are so great. That means we should be focusing on building Jamaica… people should start to look to Jamaica and not look overseas. Develop Jamaica, make Jamaica great, so that we can all earn good money as a people and take care of our most vulnerable. That’s where we must focus,” he states.

Duncan credits his family for inculcating in him the values of social justice, love and respect for one’s brothers and sisters and the wider Jamaica.

He says his wife, Wendy, has supported him throughout his career, allowing him the space to invest in the areas he is passionate about.

“She has been a partner who has encouraged me, believed in me. She’s not much of a risk taker, but when we decide that we’re going to take the risk, she’s right behind me 100 per cent,” he says.

“My children, they inspire me…and I like to be an example for them… I like to expose them to Jamaica and see what is going on …let them work within the communities and understand the challenges that their brothers and sisters, 15 minutes down the road in certain areas, are facing,” he points out. “I want them to have a conscience to be able to know that we have to lift everyone. It’s not just about us prospering, it’s about all of Jamaica prospering and working with our people because everyone has potential.”

He is encouraging young people to build their skillsets, focus on their education, as well as their strengths.

“When you are on a good path, you should continue to build and give time to volunteering, mentoring, working with people. You need to, as an individual, say a high school student, give time to voluntary organisations, get involved in the cadets, Girl Guides, sports, get involved with extracurricular activities and have civic pride for your country,” he urges.

Duncan tells JIS News that the “greatest feeling for me is to see lives transform and change. For me, that feels better than getting an award.”