Holness urges agency heads to pursue growth-inducing projects
Published:Thursday | January 9, 2020 | 9:29 AM
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged the heads of agencies under the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation to focus on developing fresh, innovative projects guaranteed to generate higher levels of sustainable inclusive economic growth for Jamaica.
“We need to now start thinking of game-changing innovative and large projects. Let’s look at projects that could solve our water problem, our energy problem and our transportation problems at the same time,” he suggested.
Holness was addressing a meeting of heads of agencies with responsibility for the Ministry’s water, housing and infrastructure portfolios at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday.
Holness challenged the agencies’ board members, executive directors and managers, and technical persons within the Ministry “to start thinking out of the box”, noting that “we have to start to now explore, [conduct] research and development, [and] entertain new thinking”.
He advised that in order to initiate such game-changing, innovative projects, “there has to be greater cross-fertilisation of ideas”.
“What I notice is that many agencies have good projects. But those projects could be enhanced if there were greater coordination and the willingness to work together and not in silos,” he contended.
Meanwhile, Holness said persons spearheading the execution of projects have a responsibility to ensure these engagements are completed on time and within budget.
Additionally, he said the boards of the bodies involved in those activities are mandated to ensure that these individuals are held accountable.
Against this background, Holness suggested that a system of accountability “that is performance-based and not just accounting-based” be established within the respective agencies, public bodies, and Ministry, to better monitor this process.
-JIS News
We want to hear from you! Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169, email us at editors@gleanerjm.com or onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com.