Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness lauded India for being a strong advocate for the Global South, highlighting its role in providing development pathways for countries like Jamaica. During his official visit to India, PM Holness termed the trip a success and praised India’s contributions to technological and skills development.
“India has been the vocal voice of the Global South. India provides countries like Jamaica the pathway for development – both in terms of technology and management and skills,” Holness said in an interview.
He expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hospitality and affirmed the strength of relations between the two nations. “Prime Minister Modi has been a great host, and our relations with India are very strong,” Holness said.
During the visit, several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between India and Jamaica, focusing on sports, culture, technology, and education. “We signed MoUs on Sports and Culture, and we are exploring other areas, particularly the development of technology and STEM education in Jamaica,” Holness said. He also highlighted the potential benefits of adopting India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which he believes will bolster Jamaica’s economy and improve its defense and security framework.
Commenting on the shared cricket heritage between India and Jamaica, Holness acknowledged India’s significant influence on the sport. “Cricket is a big sport in both the West Indies and India, though much bigger in India, which is likely the driving force in cricket today,” he noted, adding that his favorite Indian cricketer is the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Holness also visited Varanasi and Sarnath, describing the experience of witnessing the Ganga Aarti as “excellent.” Reflecting on the future of India-Jamaica relations, he expressed optimism, saying, “This visit is a sign of our strong commitment at the government-to-government level.”
He emphasized the need to further strengthen people-to-people and business-to-business ties to solidify the partnership between the two countries. “The effort now is to make more people-to-people and business-to-business connections, and that will truly solidify the relationship between Jamaica and India,” Holness said.
(Inputs from ANI)