Jamaica urged to adopt international building standards

 

VM Properties CEO Allison Morgan is urging the real estate sector in Jamaica to adopt international standards for building codes.

 

Ms. Morgan was speaking on 'Wealth Creation through Real Estate' at the 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference on Tuesday.

 

"We are an island nation. We have to be deliberate about building in resilience in our construction and the types of technology that we use. So I think that is something that we need to look at. We know we have concerns, persons are saying there's a lot of high-rise structure going up. If we are giving these sort of approvals, then we have to make sure that we have the public sector infrastructure to support it, the fire, the emergency services, et cetera."

 

She maintained that in addition to adopting international building codes and technology for construction, Jamaica must ensure that resources and infrastructure are able to match the speed at which development is taking place. 

 

Ms. Morgan said while she wants members of the Jamaican diaspora to have access to Jamaica, the sector must be regulated.

 

She added that Jamaicans should also begin to learn more about financial education, such as the importance of saving and planning for the acquisition of real estate.

 

"That is something that perhaps needs to be discussed with the Ministry of Education, how we can bring back some of these things in school. Maybe you start at the tertiary level or at the secondary level where they're able to grasp the concepts, but we need to be churning out adults who are able for adulting, who understand finances and a mortgage and what credit does to you," she asserted.