Here’s your chance to monitor government projects

By Anthony Morgan

You will soon be able to use an online map to track public investment projects, such as road construction and Government reform.

The Jamaica InvestmentMap is to be launched on Wednesday, November 4. It’s a first for the English Speaking Caribbean.  

The media got a chance to see how it works on Monday, but the link to the InvestmentMap will be made public at the virtual launch this week.  It will open up access to info on 70 government projects. 

The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service said the platform will also allow you to provide feedback on projects you’re interested in.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Nigel Clarke, said the map will make sure projects are “run efficiently and effectively.” 

Dr. Clarke said while it will not be a quick fix to all of the country’s problems, it will allow greater transparency, especially since most of the information on the platform has always been available, but wasn’t readily accessible.

He said the tool is critical, especially in these difficult times when the pandemic has made waste or misuse of government resources even more unacceptable. 

The Jamaica InvestmentMap is made possible through a partnership between the Government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). 

At least six IDB member countries – including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Paraguay — have launched InvestmentMaps in recent years. 

In Colombia, the platform has increased the efficiency of projects listed on it by about 8%. 

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