Jamaica’s Burgeoning Capital Market Making Investors Out Of Savers, A Win-Win For All – Award-Winning Businessman

Multiple award-winning businessman Joe Issa, has hailed the performance of the capital market, stating it is a heaven for high returns from which everyone benefits.

“People who never used to invest their money are now removing it from their savings account to buy shares on the stock market, because of the high returns it has consistently generated in recent times, and that’s great for everyone: the companies, investors and the economy,” said Issa, who is believed to be among Jamaica’s most successful entrepreneurs.

Issa, who has received a national award for business was commending the performance of the stock market, which reportedly saw investors earning on average 42 per cent return since 2013.

The report in the Gleaner cited Managing Director of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), Marlene Street Forrest, who believes that the decision on whether one should put their money in a savings account or invest in the capital market has been made easier.

According to Street Forrest, business and investors alike have benefited from some $70 billion mobilised by Jamaica’s capital market over the past six years, while the Government has seen an increase of over 500 per cent in taxes from companies, both small and medium-sized, that have listed on the stock exchange during the period.

Speaking at a Symposium hosted by the Banking and Finance Department at the University of Technology, recently, Street Forrest was quoted by the Gleaner as saying, “The stock market provides a good avenue for people to mobilise capital, for the companies that want to get capital, its turning savers into investors.”

The event was themed ‘Growth and Development: Is expanding the capital market the answer?’ and brought together several organisation heads under one roof to discuss the issue. They included: IMF Representative for Jamaica, Constant Lonkeng-Ngouana; Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the University, Dr Andrea Sutherland; Chief Investment Strategist and Head of Research, JN Fund Managers, Ramon Small-Ferguson; Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ) president, Hugh Johnson; Group CEO of Jamaica Corporate Credit Union, Robin Levy; and Street Forrest.

Continuing, she said, “Savers who are earning one per cent on their money, had they invested the money, they could have earned up to 42 per cent on average from the Main and Junior market. The US-denominated market is 16 per cent.

“So if you take the 16 per cent, you are way above inflation, you are above what you could have earned at the bank and what it is doing is accelerating the growth and development of the country,” Street Forrest reportedly reasoned.

According to the report, she argues that the Government’s decision to offer a tax incentive to small companies willing to raise capital by giving up a portion of the business ownership, has augured well for the country, which moved from 2 per cent of the population investing in the capital market, to roughly 15 per cent last year.

“The global average is 25 per cent, so we still have some way to go but we are moving in a positive direction,” she reportedly said.

Street Forrest’s sentiments were echoed by JN’s Small-Ferguson and IMF’s Lonkeng-Ngouana, who reckoned that the growth in the country’s capital market follows on the reduction of Government of Jamaica debts becoming less available.

“It has forced people in the financial sector to invest more appropriately. So banks are now deploying more capital into loans which is what we should have been doing, and people in investment management space have to become more creative in how we drive the capital.”

He noted that with the “easy money” being gone, retail participation in that space has gone down significantly and instead the country is seeing individuals and companies participating in collective investment schemes, mutual funds, unit trusts among others, allowing for more appropriate allocation of capital.

 

Donald Ray Tapia Set To Become Next Beneficial US Ambassador To Jamaica – Civic Leader

Former President of the St Ann Chamber of Commerce Joe Issa, says Arizona businessman Donald Ray Tapia seems set to become the next United States Ambassador to Jamaica, stating he could be of great benefit to the island.

“I expect him to be approved as the president’s choice for ambassador to Jamaica, and quite likely a good one for the country, given his already stated intention to focus on boosting the development of renewable energy here, if he is confirmed in the post,” said Issa.

Issa was reacting to news that President Donald Trump has once again nominated Arizona Businessman Donald Ray Tapia to become US Ambassador to Jamaica, following last May’s nomination which was returned to the White House.

According to Yahoo News, the Foreign Relations Committee of the United States Senate is to deliberate on the nomination of the Arizona businessman to become ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the US to Jamaica.

A date is to be set for the hearing.

The nomination was reportedly referred to the committee after it was recently submitted to the Senate by President Trump.

President Trump is said to have recently resubmitted Tapia’s nomination after it was sent back to the White House, after the Senate adjourned in December without making a decision.

Tapia was nominated by President Trump last May and appeared before the committee that July where, among other things, he pledged that he would focus much of his attention on Jamaica’s energy sector if he is named to the post.

Tapia told senators that should he be confirmed, he would leverage his management skills to push this area of strategic corporation for both countries.

“Jamaica is ripe for the development of renewed energy sources like geo-thermal, solar, and wind power. Jamaica has some of the world’s highest electricity rates, which reduces competitiveness and prevents them from investing in other areas such as education and business enterprises,” he was quoted in the Gleaner as saying.

Tapia also promised to assist Jamaica in building resilience against natural disaster, which he noted continued to wreak havoc in the economy, wiping out capital.

When he was reportedly quizzed by Senator Chris Coons about how he planned to help Jamaican advance a more sustainable power security for its future, Tapia responded: “The USAID (United States Agency for International Development) is now in the process of formulating a programme to work with the Jamaican Government, and so forth, to build resiliency for, primarily, hurricanes … I would support the USAID position very robustly to work with them … .”

Tapia told the committee that he could be a conduit between the Jamaican Government and the US business community.

“Jamaica’s proximity to the United States and shared culture and language can facilitate increased engagement, investment, trade, and cooperation,” he reportedly said.

At a meeting of the committee last August to consider pending ambassador nominations, the body voted to report favorably on Tapia’s nomination to the Senate.

However, the process was not completed before the adjournment of the Senate, resulting in the nomination falling off the agenda and subsequently returning to the White House.

The Senate Committee on Foreign relations will again meet to discuss the nomination even though its chairman, John Isakson, did not provide any specifics on when the meeting would be held.

Jamaica has been without a US top diplomat since the departure of Luis Moreno in July of 2017.

Water!: Rural Communities, Farmers Tipped To Fare Better In 2019 – Joe Issa

Member of the St Ann Chamber of Commerce past presidents advisory committee Joe Issa, who is enthused about inclusive development, tips rural communities and farmers to fare better this year than last year, stating water will have a lot to do with that growth.

“Rural communities have always been about farming, but lack of water and drought has scared people off the land. But once you bring them adequate water to irrigate their farms and backyard gardens, everybody can earn an income either as a large or small farmer, a farm hand, or aggro-processor, adding more value to agricultural produce. More water means greater resilience against drought.

“And once people in the city find out about the transformation taking place in rural communities and farm lands across the island, with better opportunities than in the already crowded city, many could be influenced to return to their roots, thereby bringing new skills to fuel growth,” said Issa, noting, “Of course, it’s the ideal outcome but it’s possible to a large extent.”

Issa adds: “The impact of the urban-to-rural drift will benefit the city, by freeing space and jobs which many people who didn’t have any before can now have, thereby creating new and empowered workers or entrepreneurs, with less strain on taxpayers money.

Issa was commenting in the contest of new water initiatives that could be coming on stream this year.

One such project, according to a Gleaner report, is a new 15-million imperial-gallon-per-day water-treatment plant in Content, St Catherine by the National Water Commission (NWC). Its distribution capacity will be similar to that of the Mona treatment plant. The project will cost approximately US$60 million.

The water from this 20-year public-private partnership arrangement to finance, build and operate the Rio Cobre water-treatment plant, will be sold to the NWC via a water-purchase agreement. Negotiations are said to be advanced.

The NWC is said to be hoping that negotiations with an undisclosed partner reaches a satisfactory conclusion for the utility company to start work this year.

“We are still in negotiations with a private entity. However, negotiations have been going rather slowly, though,” said Charles Buchanan, corporate public relations manager of the NWC.

He said that the utility company is hoping for an agreement that is satisfactory to both sides.

“It’s just the process and the nature of financing arrangements (public-private partnership – PPP) that’s slowing the agreement. It is also the extensive internal government process that the NWC has to go through,” Buchanan reportedly explained.

To date, agreement has been reached on the PPP structure, acquisition of lands, financing and payment mechanism, while the regulatory endorsements, non-objections and approvals have also been received.

The negotiation report is currently being compiled for submission to the Privatization Enterprise Team.

Coupled with the vast upgrade to the water transmission lines now being undertaken in sections of the Corporate Area, this new treatment plant in Content, when completed, will make service to communities in sections of Spanish Town, Portmore, and the western parts of Kingston and St Andrew more efficient.

“It’s a long process, yes, but we are anticipating that when the project is brought to life, the results will give Portmore, Spanish Town, and other areas lots more water. Residents will then be pleased with the service,” Buchanan was reported as saying.

“In addition to that, it will also provide a level of resilience against drought conditions, as its source, the Rio Cobre, continues to give constant supply,” he reportedly noted.

At the same time, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced his intention to borrow low-cost funds from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for irrigation and rural communities, which Issa has given the thumb’s up.

Issa noted in the blog, the critical importance of water to the success of agriculture arguing, therefore, that “an investment which brings water to farmers and rural communities is an investment in the well being of the economy,” adding, “We can’t go wrong with that.”

“A boom in agriculture, made possible by investments in irrigation, will attract new, young farmers to the industry, increase the productivity of farms, enhance food security, and enable increases in food export.”

Prime Minister Holness reportedly asserted that “water is a critical part of the economic growth equation” for his administration.

 

Development Advocate Gives Thumbs Up To Game-Changing Investment In Water for Agriculture

Head of Coolcorp, development advocate Joe Issa, backs the notion that investment in water for agriculture could be a game changer for the Jamaican economy, stating that neither households nor industry, especially agriculture can be sustained without water.

Noting that Agriculture is unique in being the one sector with the most linkages with other sectors, Issa argues that “if agriculture is doing well, chances are the economy is doing well.”

Continuing, Issa notes the critical importance of water to the success of agriculture arguing, therefore, that “an investment which brings water to farmers is an investment in the well being of the economy,” adding, “We can’t go wrong with that.”

He adds: “There’s a lot at stake when agriculture is reeling including employment, food security, and foreign exchange to import food.

“But a boom in agriculture, made possible by investments in irregation, will attract new, young farmers to the industry, increase the productivity of farms, enhance food security, and enable increases in food export.”

Issa was commending Prime Minister Andrew Holness for reportedly signalling his administration’s intention to tap the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for competitive loan offerings to expand the country’s water-supply system.

“Just recently, president of the CDB, Warren Smith, informed me that there are funds at that bank – very low-cost funds – which are available for use … . I said to him that we will use it for water,” Holness was quoted saying by the Gleaner, while speaking at Lititz Primary School in St Elizabeth, recently.

The prime minister reportedly did not give details, except that the money would be invested in irrigation and to improve rural water supply.

Holness asserted that “water is a critical part of the economic growth equation” for his administration.

In the meantime, the president of the CDB reportedly argued that greater investment in the country’s water-supply infrastructure could boost economic and social development through agriculture.

According to Smith, investment in irrigation and water would help to tackle some of the major problems and key development issues in the country through agriculture.

“For example, lack of food security, water scarcity, climate vulnerability, inefficient production practices, and weak sectoral linkage.

“These deficiencies contribute to an unnecessary food import bill now approaching approximately US$1 billion per annum,” Smith reportedly said, insisting that agriculture could be a “game changer” for the Jamaican economy.

Meanwhile, the National Water Commission (NWC) is said to be hoping that negotiations with an undisclosed partner reaches a satisfactory conclusion for the utility company to start work this year on the construction of a new 15-million imperial-gallon-per-day water-treatment plant in Content, St Catherine. Its distribution capacity will be similar to that of the Mona treatment plant.

 

Civic Leader Hails Jamaica’s New Capability to Prevent and Control Infection and Disease, Thanks to ICT

Ocho Rios civic leader Joe Issa, has hailed the new capability acquired by Jamaica to prevent and control infections, stating it is a huge plus for the health sector and the general public who are always exposed to health threats.

“This is a very positive development for Jamaica and a testimony to how digitization can transform institutions and processes for greater effectiveness and efficiency.

“ICT has changed the way we do things for the better and much would not have been possible without it, as this latest digitize surveillance system demonstrates.

“With much improved data collection and analysis, people at risk in times of outbreaks of infection and disease now stand a better chance of not contracting the virus, such as the dreaded dengue and others.

“I commend USF for financing the UHWI infection control system and making it a part of its mandate to see that the whole economy is fully digitized, no sector barred,” said Issa, who has recently congratulated a number of institutions that have gone digital.

Issa was commenting on an Observer story of the commissioning of an infection control surveillance system at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s capabilities to fight dengue fever and other health related threats.

The $31.7-million system, which was funded by the Universal Service Fund (USF), manages information across the UHWI and allows for data capture in relation to infection control practices and surveillance of all infections.

The report quoted USF saying that as a result, the system has seen to the full digitization of the UHWI’s Infection Prevention and Control Unit’s data collection and analysis process, USF said in a statement this afternoon.

Speaking at the official handover ceremony, Chief Executive Officer at the USF Daniel Dawes reportedly said the agency’s financing of the UHWI infection control system forms part of the overarching thrust of the USF to provide technological support across a wide cross section of sectors, in a bid to improve efficiency.

“We have seen world-wide how Information and Communication Technology can facilitate development and can assist in achieving targets in education, finance and health. This system will help the UHWI to more effectively combat outbreaks of infection and disease as it will now have valuable and credible data at its fingertips to inform the decision-making process,” Dawes said.

Chief Medical Officer at the UHWI, Dr Carl Bruce, said the system is part of a comprehensive scheme, designed to manage data across the entire hospital.

“Once implemented the Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) will streamline and centralize all patient data through digitization. This system will help the hospital to have greater control over access to patient data and enable easier sharing of information among authorized medical personnel,” Bruce reportedly said.

“This can lead to faster diagnosis and treatment, and in the case of infectious diseases, the hospital is now better able to prevent and manage the spread,” he continued.

The project included the creation of a hospital wide network complete with desktop computers, tablets, a printer and the related Information and Communication Technology infrastructure, their report said.

The Universal Service Fund is an Agency under the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology mandated to ensure access to information and communication tools to facilitate development.

In 2005, the USF began operation as the Universal Access Company Limited following a Ministerial Order which mandated that all domestic telecommunications providers are obligated to collect a universal service levy on all inbound telephone calls.

The levy is imposed on International calls terminating on local networks. Calls terminating on fixed lines incur a levy of US$0.03 and US$0.02 on mobile lines. The funding acquired from this levy is used to further our mission to provide universal access to all Jamaicans, regardless of age, class or geographic location.

“We are committed to ensuring that one of the greatest developmental tools in the world is available to our citizens in order to create a complete knowledge-based society that we all can be proud of,” its website said.

Technology Savvy Civic Leader Enthused By Digitization Thrust Trending In Jamaica

Joe Issa who has often urged businesses to trash the paper for electronics now has another ally in Fraser Fontaine & Kong (FFK), which has decided to do just that with FFK ‘N ROLL.

“I am amazed by the number of companies that are doing away with paper and going electronics. It’s really the only way up.

“I congratulate the company for making the move to digitization and welcome it to its rightful place among companies that are taking their services online.

“The move from paper to electronics is a necessary transformation if we desire to become efficient and effective, and therefore, successful.

“I am sure the company’s customers will be thrilled to be able to access services from the comfort of their living rooms,” says Issa, who is founder of Cool Group trading as Coolcorp.

Issa was commending the reported transformation of FFK to FFK ‘N ROLL, a complete online process that will offer quick access to status reports about insurance policies to all employed Jamaicans who are FFK clients.

This replaces all paper enrolments, resulting in real time status updates on various benefits, making the process less time consuming, according to a Jamaica Observer report.

The FFK ‘N ROLL service offered by the insurance broker is said to cover group health, life, and other employee benefit insurances.

This new platform is believed to allow the ability to capture data in a secure, consistent manner and accessible only to the selected users, providing them with the peace of mind that their data is safely stocked and secured, as opposed to paper forms.

Gerard Fontaine, President of FFK advises that employees will have access to their personalized dashboard where they are able to add dependents under health insurance, or beneficiaries in the case of life and personal accident policies. They can also choose to purchase supplemental insurance using this platform, according to the report.

This new enrolment process is said to have been approved by insurance companies and is now accessible to clients.

The transformation is said to have become official recently.

Firms that have recently taken their business online include the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), which will soon pay all pensioners through direct deposit into their bank accounts as it trashes the paper voucher system of payment.

Issa’s own PICA – the passport, immigration and citizenship agency which he chairs – is trashing paper work for electronics, as it seeks to improve the customer experience by introducing online applications and delivery notification, among other services.

 

‘Total Cultural Immersion’: Joe Issa Backs UDC, Private Sector to Deliver, Could Potentially Make downtown Tourism the Next Growth Enclave

Joe Issa, chairman of the St. Ann Development Company (SADCO), a subsidiary of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), is in support of the move by the parent company and the private sector to transform downtown Kingston as a tourist destination, stating it has the potential of becoming the next growth enclave.

Issa, who has repeatedly stressed the potential of Kingston for cultural tourism, argues that it has all the elements needed to make it happen.

“Kingston is at the heart of cultural expression in Jamaica. It’s where it all started and happening – the authentic communities in downtown where Reggae was born, the museums that harbur the history of our music, the talents, and a waterfront beckoning a variety of activities to enrich the experience for cruise passengers and stayover visitors.

“I know some will shrug shoulders because of criminal activities in those communities, but it is my belief that when the people begin to unite for mutual support of their business investments, such as accommodation, restaurants, craft shops, and boutiques, there will be less tolerance for criminals in the area,” said Issa, who is highly regarded in Jamaica’s top tourism circles, having left his mark as a multi-award winner in the industry.

Issa was commenting on a recent Observer article which published plans for the development of downtown in a partnership between the UDC and the private sector, to give tourists a “total cultural immersion”.

This is to be achieved through a number of projects, including “the development of a lifestyle centre in downtown Kingston and the upgrading of extra rooms in Trench Town, Tivoli and Rose Town to serve as short-term accommodation for tourists looking to explore the streets of the former home of reggae and Rastafari ambassador Bob Marley, and the surrounding environs.”

Another project cited is a second Bob Marley museum in Trench Town, “to maximise on the potential of the birthplace of rocksteady and reggae music in bringing international guests to Jamaica,” as well as a Culture Yard at Upper King Street.

It informed that some 32,000 visitors came to Jamaica last year through Airbnb, some of whom opted to stay in unconventional places like Trench Town, Denham Town and Portmore.

The move to diversify Jamaica’s tourism product is believed to find justification in recently presented data by the World Bank, which shows that “while the Caribbean has seen increasing numbers in tourism, the growth rate is much slower than trends now seen in the world tourism market.”

As a result, the World Bank is said to have recommended that “Jamaica diversifies from the enclave, all-inclusive tourism product to more ecotourism, cultural tourism and farm tourism.”

The information was extracted from a presentation by Head of the UDC, Damian Graham, at the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Monday Exchange, where he reportedly cited plans to open up the space at Dennis Brown’s former home, Big Yard, “to promote the development of the Airbnb concept for more Jamaicans to earn foreign currency.”

Informing that based on Airbnb figures, the average earning for a host on the island is US$2,500 ($327,500) per year, the paper quoted Graham as saying: “Airbnb, we believe, is going to be a key gateway to opening up Kingston to culture. We want the overnight guest to be immersed. There’s a trend now where cruise and air passengers want to have what is called a total cultural immersion, and it doesn’t get any better than that when you can get access to Airbnb.”

 

Well-known Host of World’s Luminaries Brings Ritz Carlton to PICA

As the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) turns a new leaf, incoming Chairman of the Board, popular Ocho Rios businessman and philanthropist Joe Issa, is urging customers to remain positive about their expectations of the decade-old institution.

PICA Chairman- Joey Issa

Issa, who is one of Jamaica’s most recognizable faces, according to the Jamaica Observer, said in an interview, that PICA is redefining its vision and revolutionizing its operations to take the customer experience to an unprecedented level since becoming a government agency in 2007.

Equating PICA’s customer experience to that which is obtained in the first world, Issa is bench marking its services against those of Bill Gates’ Microsoft, the American Embassy in Jamaica and Ritz Carlton, and is reflecting this in a new mantra: “I have not been to Ritz Carlton, but I have been to PICA!”

Often referred to as a business guru for building an empire from just US$80,000 in 1995, Issa is better known for the service quality of his over-50 Cool Group companies, his philanthropy, civic mindedness and having a penchant for hosting international luminaries.

Believed to be a keen listener, especially of his customers, Issa said he takes his cue for ultimate customer satisfaction from the intuitive Bill Gates, who once said, “Our most unhappy customers are our greatest source of learning.”

In what is probably one of the most anticipated chairman’s messages in the agency’s annual reports, Issa gave several clues of what to expect.

“Going forward we are focusing our attention, more than ever before, on the experience we are giving to our customers when they come to our offices. In fact, by next year, many of them won’t have to come at all, in order to access our services.

“We have a new consciousness of listening and learning, and that is driving the many solutions we are bringing to our customers whenever they interface with us, both real and virtual. It will be no less than the superior quality service of a Ritz Carlton,” Issa said in the interview.

Top on Issa’s list of improvements are greater courtesy, professionalism, physical comfort and convenience served seamlessly, with pride, humility, respect and elegance.

Among the measures which Issa speaks of include earlier opening ours, reducing the time spent on the line, giving customers the choice of leaving and returning later instead of waiting, taking applications on line and sending documents by courier.

In addition, Issa said they are looking to significantly reduce the time taken to process overseas visa applications and stand in line upon arriving at Sangster International Airport.

Last year, over 300,000 Jamaicans received their passports, and there is potential for an increase of some 30 per cent, Issa said.

Over 25,000 overseas visa applications were also processed, at an average turnaround time of six weeks, which Issa wants to reduce significantly, by placing PICA agents and equipment at the various embassies globally.

Issa also stated that he and his directors and the management team at PICA are working towards making the long line at its offices and international airports “a thing of the past”.

PICA is mandated by law to accept and process passport applications, manage Jamaica’s immigration processes and handle matters in relation to application for and renunciation of Jamaican citizenship.

It processes applications for visitors, skilled workers, entrepreneurs, refugees and those reporting lost, stolen, damaged or found immigration documents.

An agency of the Ministry of National Security, PICA works closely with the Jamaica Defense Force to protect the island’s borders.

Cool Oasis Going Green to Protect Jamaican Environment

Cool Oasis, the flagship of the Joe Issa-led Cool Group of some 50 companies is going green, and is taking the rest of the group with it, in a partnership with Recycling Partners of Jamaica to collect and recycle plastic waste at its service stations island wide.

“It’s an initiative of Cool Oasis and I applaud it. Being environmentally friendly is desirable; we have to be, if we are to contribute to its well being and that of future generations,” Issa said in an interview.

Joey Issa

A known advocate for the protection of the environment and supporter of the 1.5o lobby ahead of the 2016 Paris Conference on climate change, Issa said “as useful as it is, plastic waste is a menace to the environment and must be collected and recycled, and create new jobs. It’s a win-win initiative.”

Stating that plastics pollute the air when burning, and the sea, land and water sources when breaking down, Issa said, “If we can collect and recycle all the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles out there, we will have done our health a great favour.”

Issa’s statement is supported by Jamaican Dr. Michael Abrahams who, in a Gleaner article titled “The Problem with Plastic”, gave some startling facts about the useful, but dangerous product.

“Unfortunately, plastic usually takes 500 to 1,000 years to disintegrate, and in the meantime it wreaks havoc on the environment,” said the gynecologist and obstetrician.

He said that “as the plastic breaks down, toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and polystyrene are released, adding a chemical dimension to the pollution, which also has a deleterious effect on sea life, as well as on humans who ingest seafood.”

“In dumps and landfills, these and other toxic chemicals can also be released into soil and groundwater, contaminating them, while micro-organisms break down plastic to release methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

“In addition, with the occurrence of fires at dumps, large amounts of plastic will burn, liberating the toxic gas carbon monoxide, and carcinogenic compounds such as dioxins and furans into the atmosphere,” Dr. Abrahams informed.

He said “plastic can pose a risk, even in our homes, as heating plastic containers can liberate BPA into our foods and beverages with potentially damaging effects.”

Stating, for example, the impact of the 165-million tons of plastic in the world’s oceans and the over-5 trillion pieces afloat, he said one million sea birds and over 400,000 marine mammals perish annually, and over 267 marine species are entangled causing injury and starvation.

He adds: “Plastic and other debris accumulate in drains, contributing to flooding and water stagnation, with the latter setting us up for mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.”

He said worldwide, 225 million tons of plastic is produced every year, and that more has been produced in the past decade than during the whole of the last century. He puts the number of plastic bags produced each year at about 500 billion or over 1 million per minute.

Issa believes that while “we can’t restrict the use of plastic, the least we can do is to dispose of it properly, not on road sides, bushes, drains, rivers and the sea,” urging support from the public to deposit their waste plastic at Cool Oasis service stations island wide.

Recycling Partners of Jamaica Limited, a member of the Wisynco Group, has depots around the island where they also educate the public on how to recycle their plastic wastes.

In Service to Jamaicans: New PICA Building to Improve Efficiency, Effectiveness, Productivity – Chairman

The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) is hailing the construction of a new head office for PICA as an excellent move to enhance staff morale and customer service, stating it will impact effectiveness, efficiency and productivity.

“The move by the Minister to get a new head office for the staff of PICA to work and serve customers better, is an excellent one. It will make for a much improved environment than the present, overcrowded location,” says Issa, who is well-known to providing employees with pristine working conditions.

Chairman of PICA- Joseph Issa

Issa made the comments in an interview following the announcement by National Security Minister, Robert Montague, of a new head office for PICA, which is to be constructed on 7^th Avenue on lands already acquired near the current headquarters on Constant Spring Road in Kingston.

“We have instructed that the architects move a little faster to complete the designs… as we just need these and the approval of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation to construct the facility and get the staff into more comfortable surroundings,” he said.

Stating that he believes the level of comfort and staff morale in the workplace is directly related to the level and quality of service they provide to the public, Issa argues, “If they have more space and better facilities in which to work, this will improve their morale and the ‘feel-good’ factor often necessary to drive performance.”

Issa posits that the new PICA facility will raise the profile of the agency and the satisfaction of customers, who often complain about the overcrowding at the current head quarters, emphasizing that “the manner in which employees go about doing their work and serving clients is a function of the environment in which they are put to work,” and stating, “The new investment in land and building will eventually pay off through improved staff effectiveness, efficiency and productivity.”

Joe Diner

He asserts that “the more modern and spacious building will enable managers to better manage staff time and other inputs and prioritize their use, which results in greater effectiveness…that means ‘doing the right things’.”

Similarly, Issa explains that “the new facility on 7^th Avenue will make for better management of the output of workers, in terms of organizing, processing, approving and dispatching passports, citizenship certificates and work permits, etc.,” noting “it will lead to greater efficiency…‘doing things right’.”

“To the extent that more is accomplished with the same staff at the new location relative to what is being achieved at the current building, this constitutes increased productivity or output per worker,” concludes Issa, who is a past student of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in the United Kingdom, where he developed a penchant for giving back to disadvantaged Jamaican children through education.