Kingston, Jamaica – The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), in its efforts to assist Micro, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) with digital transformation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with international specialists in privacy management, Securys Limited. This will see the Agency moving to assist entrepreneurs with implementing data privacy and protection best practices in accordance with the Data Protection Act of 2020 (DPA). The signing took place at the JBDC Head Office in Kingston on Tuesday June 18, 2024.
Valerie Veira, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the JBDC welcomes this partnership, “The commitment from this collaboration will ensure that they [MSMEs] meet the requirements of the new Data Protection Act. Importantly for us is the facilitation for them [MSMEs] to do business locally and internationally.”
The move comes amid the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce’s push for consumer protection as a way for businesses to safeguard themselves against cybercrime.
Through the 2020 DPA, the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) aims to ensure the protection of the privacy and integrity of data held on individuals by businesses and other organisations. Under this Act, among other responsibilities, MSMEs are required to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures “to prevent the unauthorised or unlawful processing of data as well as incidental loss or destruction of, or damage to data”, (OIC).
However, several MSMEs have been experiencing challenges with adherence to the DPA, due to a number of reasons including lack of understanding of the requirements and processes under the Act. Under the MOU, the JBDC and Securys Limited will: 1) Promote education and assistance to the MSME sector in the area of Data Protection; and, 2) Collaborate on selected projects to enable access to data privacy services at an affordable cost to JBDC’s clients.
Ben Rapp, Group Chief Executive at Securys Limited says, “We are making a large investment in Jamaica but for that to work, we need the data protection ecosystem in Jamaica to work. It drives digitisation of the Jamaican economy, the ability to export, but to do that you have to be a safe recipient of data.”
Rapp added that the partnership seeks to demystify the data protection act, “This [Act] is an opportunity, not an obstacle. The reality with data protection is that it is a trust building exercise between you [businesses] and their customers and if you do it right you can energise your business.”
Securys, which recently established a hub in Jamaica, will:
- develop and present a series of training and workshop sessions to JBDC’s MSME clients that are designed to inform and enhance awareness, knowledge and requirements under Jamaica’s Data Protection Act, 2020 (DPA);
- design a modality for provision of Data Protection technical services to the MSME sector that is sustainable, effective and affordable; and
- design and implement a programme that provides coaching and guidance to members of staff of JBDC to support the Data Protection programme being implemented for the MSME sector.
The JBDC is an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment, & Commerce (MIIC), driving entrepreneurial success ‘From Concept to Market’.
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