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The Minister of Industry, Investment & Commerce, Senator Aubyn Hill  has long been a champion of the Special Economic Zones and what they can do to boost investment and encourage companies to set up enterprises in Jamaica.

Speaking at the launch of a digital tool designed to facilitate applications and their tracking by investors looking to set up shop in the Special Economic Zones, Minister Hill gave an update of recent developments with the Special Economic Zones and sums committed by private investors. 

Below is his address made at the AC Hotel in Kingston  last Thursday: 

Jamaica Is Building Forward Stronger

Across Jamaica’s Special Economic Zone regime, several major projects are advancing and are reflecting strong investor confidence and creating new opportunities for economic growth, employment, and national development.

The Caymanas Special Economic Zone, which is approximately 750 acres, will be developed to have advanced manufacturing, warehousing, ICT, agro-processing, cold chain logistics, and research and development. The cost of Phase I alone is estimated at J$8 billion. These projects are ready to move. Beyond Caymanas SEZ, the pipeline runs the length of this island. In Montego Bay, Tailwind Corporation is delivering a 100,000 square-foot warehouse and logistics complex, a J$3 billion investment projected to support 750 jobs across logistics, BPO, and professional services.

Kingston Wharves Limited is executing a US$100 million expansion within the SEZ framework, nine deep-water berths, over 360,000 square feet of warehousing, strengthening Jamaica’s position as the premier cargo and logistics gateway of the Caribbean.

In Clarendon, over 1,000 acres at Inverness are now in active concept development. This is a national economic architecture taking shape.

Within the existing regime, private investors committed US$17.5 million in new capital in 2025 alone, expanding footprints, upgrading infrastructure, and moving up the value chain into advanced analytics, cybersecurity, and software development. The confidence is real. What the market now needs is a system that keeps pace with Jamaica’s ambition.

Jamaica’s proximity to the Panama Canal, our position as the natural transhipment gateway for the Americas, the Port of Kingston with a draft of up to 14.5 metres to accommodate some of the largest shipping vessels in the world, our English-speaking workforce, sovereign credit rating, and improving fiscal fundamentals clearly signal that Jamaica is a strategically attractive investment destination.

I am pleased to be here as the Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Jamaica’s Business Ministry, for the launch of the SEZ Facilitation Tool by one of my 20 agencies in the ministry, the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA).

A platform built for performance

The SEZ Facilitation Tool and Online Application Platform fundamentally redesign how Jamaica engages with investors, developers, and operators in our Special Economic Zone regime. It delivers real-time application submission and tracking from anywhere in the world, replacing uncertainty with transparency and administrative delay with efficiency.

The message to the global market is deliberate. Jamaica is a competitive logistics hub and an attractive, efficient, productive, and profitable investment destination. We are serious about investors’ time, capital, and confidence in Jamaica.

Digital facilitation is economic policy

Digital government tools such as online single windows, application portals, and streamlined inter-agency coordination are not just administrative niceties. They are competitive instruments. In a global environment where investment capital is mobile and discerning, the countries that move with speed and clarity will get the investment that others lose to bureaucratic friction.

What Does This Means for Our Jamaican People?

Behind the US$8 billion in projected investment are people waiting for employment. Every accelerated approval is a business that can open sooner, hire smarter, and contribute efficiently to Jamaica’s economy. Every investment in Jamaica enhances our national human story and this Government attaches significant importance to each such investment.

Jamaica recently led the historic establishment of the Caribbean Special Economic Zones Association (CARISEZ) in Panama, serving as a founding member and securing the endorsement of the region’s first signatories. Backed by key regional and international partners, CARISEZ strengthens investment coordination and advances a regional architecture that positions the Caribbean as a credible, competitive, and connected economic bloc.

Jamaica’s leadership in launching this digital facilitation infrastructure further demonstrates to our neighbours and to the world that Jamaica and the Caribbean can modernise and compete on the terms that global investors set.

To the JSEZA Board, the CEO, and the team, this platform is the product of your discipline and your belief that Jamaica deserves a facilitation system worthy of the investment it seeks.

To our investors, developers, and private sector partners, your confidence in Jamaica is recognised. The Andrew Holness Administration’s commitment to a modern, transparent, and enabling business environment is evidenced in these systems. Launch of the SEZ Facilitation Tool 6 Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill June 11, 2026

Jamaica is ready for serious business and investment, and this platform is proof of that readiness.

I encourage liberal and everyday use of this platform.