Sunday, June 19, 2016
Some of the MG branded cars that will be assembled at the Spanish Town Free Zone by China National Automotive Industry International Corporation (CNAICO)Photos: Garfield Robinson
The promised creation of 10,000 jobs from the development of the Spanish Town Free Zone is a step closer to execution, but not before 2019 or two years more than the time announced last October.
Holding company and promoter of the free zone, GulfRay Americas Manufacturing Limited (GAML) during a tour of the proposed construction and development site on Wednesday, told the Jamaica Observer that phase one of the project will be operational by July and is expected to offer 430 new jobs.
But that is 2,070 jobs less than the promised of 2,500 new jobs that were said would have been available around this time by the operator, with heavy backing from then then Government during the official launch last year. Expectations were that an additional 7,500 jobs would become available by 2017.
“I’m not sure the basis on which the Government made their job projections. It’s not a Government project, so they have no idea what the timelines are in terms of how we are rolling out the various milestones. When we unveiled the project, that was more to make the public aware as to what we are doing and the promise it holds for everyone, including the Government,” executive member of GAML, Neville Wallace told Sunday Finance.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/Phase-1-of-Spanish-Town-Free-Zone-set-to-start_64278
