India puts development at heart of Jamaica ties

India and Jamaica have moved to deepen ties, signing three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) spanning health, renewable energy and media cooperation, even as both sides emphasise development as the relationship’s anchor.

The agreements were signed at Jamaica House in Kingston on Monday, following talks between Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, several cabinet ministers, and S Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister.

Under the solarisation agreement, the Hugh Lawson Shearer Building, home to the foreign ministry, is to be fitted with solar power. A second accord on health has already delivered 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita, and Maitri) cubes, which are state-of-the-art portable medical units designed for use in emergencies and disasters.

“We celebrate India's continued demonstration of a capacity to innovate and to deliver real, pragmatic and impactful solutions to the developing world and partners such as ourselves,” Johnson Smith said, noting that one unit has already been deployed to the Darliston Health Centre in Westmoreland. The units have allowed medical teams to bring diagnostic services directly to communities hit by Hurricane Melissa.

Education and skills transfer remain long-standing features of the partnership. “Since 1964, hundreds of Jamaicans have benefited from training under the ITEC programme – the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme,” the minister said. Agriculture, too, has featured prominently, with a recently completed US$1 million project in Kitson Town delivering training, climate-smart systems and productive assets to more than 200 farmers.

For Jaishankar, the talks underscored both continuity and expansion. He described the discussions as “comprehensive and very substantive”, adding that both sides had “reviewed the entire gamut of India-Jamaica relations”.

“We identified new avenues for further strengthening of our partnership … signed several important agreements, and we discussed effective implementations of MOUs, which have been recently concluded in the fields of digital transformation, cultural exchange, sports and digital payments to ensure tangible outcomes for the government,” he said.

Development cooperation, he added, remains central. “We are currently discussing the feasibility of the establishment of an artisan empowerment hub for Jamaica, as part of a commitment which was made by us under the India-CARICOM Development Partnership,” he disclosed.

India’s role in Jamaica’s recovery from Hurricane Melissa also featured prominently. “This is in continuation of the earlier humanitarian assistance provided in the aftermath of the hurricane where over 20 tons of relief material was delivered,” Jaishankar said, noting that, alongside the BHISHM cubes, India is supplying 30 dialysis units to bolster Jamaica’s health infrastructure.

The scope for cooperation is broadening. “Today in our discussions, we agreed to further strengthen trade, business and investment linkages, explore cooperation for recruitment and mobility of skilled professionals, including nurses and care workers and teachers. India also recognised Jamaica’s growing role as a logistics hub and gateway to the Caribbean for trade, business and investment,” he said.

Photo caption: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith (left), addresses a press briefing, following bilateral discussions with India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, at Jamaica House in Kingston on Monday. Photo credit: Contributed