PIOJ Annual Report 2005 - Planning Institute of Jamaica

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marketing these services to both public and private
interests.
There were a number of significant achievements during
the year. The PIOJ was instrumental in securing
US$1.5 billion in Official Development Assistance
(ODA). The research and forecasting capacities of the
PIOJ were enhanced and this enabled the Institute to provide
a more accurate review of economic performance.
Dialogue was initiated with the Millennium Institute
to customize the Threshold-21 Model – an integrated
model which facilitates planning, monitoring and
evaluation. This model provides a dynamic and comprehensive
approach to economic, social and environmental
forecasting.
A number of research activities were undertaken and
two major studies were published. Women in Prison –The
Impact of Incarceration on Jamaican Women and their
Families, the first of its kind, was promulgated. Profiles, a
study on the health status of children 0–8 years was also
published. The Research Analysis Programme approved
and gave oversight to three projects – “Criminal
Deportation,” “Parental Involvement in Education in
Jamaica,” and “Taking Responsibility: the Jamaican
Economy since Independence.”
The PIOJ was instrumental in advancing the reform
of Jamaica’s sugar industry. The main outcomes of this
exercise were the preparation of two documents which
were instructive of the need for reform via diversification
in order to create a viable sugar-cane based industry in a
globally competitive environment. Dialogue with local
and international stakeholders greatly contributed to the
mapping of the way forward for the industry.
The Performance Based Management System (PBMS),
which was launched in 2004, was implemented during
2005 and this brought the PIOJ in line with the rest of the
Public Sector. The PBMS facilitated both individual and
divisional evaluations based on agreed targets.
Another milestone for the PIOJ was the purchase of its
headquarters building at 12–16 Oxford Road. The process
of renovating the building and relocating should be completed
by early 2007.
The year 2005 brought with it a number of challenges,
ranging from a very active hurricane season, to the crisis
in the sugar industry, the energy crisis, and other equally
important social issues which all impacted Jamaica’s
development trajectory. However, the Institute was instrumental
in devising strategies to enhance Jamaica’s development.
I take this opportunity to thank the Board of Directors,
managers and staff for another year of high professional
standards and for their commitment to the PIOJ and the
process of developmental planning in Jamaica.
Wesley Hughes
Director General
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