With growing calls for more Jamaicans to enter the export market, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) has identified data protection as a key driver of global competitiveness for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
In response, the JBDC hosted a two-day workshop on August 19 and 21, dubbed Data Privacy: A Key to Going Global.
The initiative, which saw 25 exporters in the MSME sector being trained in data privacy and protection practices, forms part of the agency’s continued efforts to help clients meet regulatory and business requirements for competitiveness both locally and internationally, in alignment with its strategic objectives.
The Jamaica Data Protection Act (JDPA), passed in 2020, reflects global trends in safeguarding personal data.
Internationally, discussions on the subject led to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect in 2018. Both pieces of legislation aim to protect the rights of individuals and give them greater control over how businesses process and use their personal data.
Through the JDPA, the Government of Jamaica 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”.
According to Harold Davis, acting CEO of the JBDC, Jamaica has made legislative strides but still lags in adoption.
“Although Jamaica passed the Data Protection Act a few years ago, it has not yet been implemented at the level that it ought to be. The whole business of data privacy and protection is still behind where it should be locally, and this poses challenges for businesses seeking to compete globally,” he explained.
Buoyed by the Ministry of Investment & Commerce’s continued push for increased exports through initiatives like trade missions, Davis further emphasised that Jamaica’s exporters must adapt to stay relevant in international trade.
“Internationally, a lot of focus has been placed on data protection, in the European, Canadian, US and UK markets, which are among Jamaica’s key trading partners. These markets are far ahead of us, so it becomes an imperative for our exporters to align themselves with international standards in order to facilitate trade. Inevitably, global partners will expect to work with businesses that are sensitised to data privacy and compliant with these requirements.”
Head of practice at UK-based data privacy firm, Securys Limited, Andre Palmer, who facilitated the sessions, noted that awareness of the JDPA remains low among businesses.
“Every time we talk to groups of businesses, exporters included, they often say this is the first time they are hearing about the act, or they are still in the early stages of developing compliance programmes. But compliance is critical for three reasons: exporters are a huge contributor to Jamaica’s economy, global competitiveness demands alignment with international laws, and demonstrating compliance enhances Jamaica’s reputation on the world stage,” Palmer said.
Palmer explained that the training focused on practical compliance tools, including understanding the lawful basis for processing personal data, consent management and maintaining records of consent, managing and reporting data breaches, and vendor due diligence across the operational ecosystem.
The JBDC emphasised that training MSMEs in data privacy is essential to ensure that Jamaican exporters can build trust with international partners, avoid compliance risks, and secure a stronger foothold in global markets.
The JBDC and Securys Limited inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in June 2024 to promote education and assistance to the MSME sector in the area of data protection, and collaborate on selected projects to enable access to data privacy services at an affordable cost to JBDC’s clients.
Source: Our Today
