Kingston, Jamaica – Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) officially launched the second staging of its signature programme, Export Max II: Enterprise Development for Export Growth Programme.
10 export ready Jamaican firms will benefit from capacity building support to develop their export competitiveness to take advantage of export market opportunities and increase access to international markets and improve their export sales. The Export Max II programme features a corporate mentorship component which will facilitate knowledge transfer from local brand leaders and experts to the participating firms, particularly in key areas of management and export trade.
JAMPRO’s Manager for Export Development, Marlene Porter; unveiled the participants, corporate mentors and official sponsor and partners at the launch of the enterprise development programme on October 9 at the Knutsford Court Hotel. The programme will last for three years and it is anticipated that the participants will experience a 50% growth in export sales on average as well as access to at least one new market. Representatives of corporate Jamaica and national agencies such as The Development Bank of Jamaica, Scotiabank, The HEART Trust, Jamaica Productivity Centre and the Bureau of Standards attended the launch as JAMPRO’s main partners on this programme.
In his keynote address at the Export Max II launch, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Hon. G. Anthony Hylton noted the importance of JAMPRO’s work in export development to the Jamaican economy and emphasised that, “It is critical that Jamaica becomes highly organized in order to be fully integrated into the world economy … programmes like this will help to integrate our MSMEs into the global value chain, particularly through the opportunities that the Jamaica Logistics Hub provides.” He also commended JAMPRO and its partners on the sustained support given to MSMEs to increase the export of Jamaican goods and services.
JAMPRO’s President, Diane Edwards, reiterated the vital role of programmes such as Export Max II to the agency’s mandate of increasing export sales, “JAMPRO wants to become an even more reliable business partner for local export producers, we will help Jamaica’s exporters to find routes to market, and to not only gain market access, but to achieve sustainable market presence and grow market share.”
Ms. Edwards implored the participants of the Export Max programme to utilize the resources that will be made available to them to ensure success.
“We know that with great effort, the companies participating in Export Max II will achieve excellent results. JAMPRO believes that export development is a marathon and not a sprint, we will be with them every step of the way.”
