In the midst of the ream of confidence-sapping economic news recently, Prime Minister Bruce Golding enjoyed a handful of positive diversions.

One was the visit to Jamaica last week by President Kikwete of Tanzania, which didn't yield much that was immediate and concrete, but was good for the national ego by helping to re-inforce the idea that, globally, Jamaica punches above its weight.

It was nice, for instance, to hear President Kikwete acknowledge this country's prowess in international athletics and to suggest that Jamaican coaches might help build Tanzania's capacities in track and field.

Further, that Mr Kikwete suggested that Jamaican entrepreneurs should consider investing in Tanzania's tourism sector was acknowledgement of our competence and expertise in the business, as well as an implied assumption that the strength of some of Jamaica's tourist brands ought to be sufficient to overcome domestic constraints to capital.

Poor economic health

But notwithstanding the commitment to south-south cooperation and the political solidarity that exists between the two countries, the poor economic health of Jamaica and Tanzania will make such pro-jects difficult to materialise. This, of course, is not to suggest that there should not be the effort, for it is often the case that entrepreneurial zeal, when given easy rein, will overcome perceived barriers.

In that regard, we welcome the move to establish a Jamaica-Tanzania commission to monitor bilateral cooperation, but would urge that it not be overburdened with public-sector bureaucrats. A substantive role for the private sector is critical.

The significance of President Kikwete's visit notwithstanding, Prime Minister Golding will perhaps have felt more buoyed by his own short trip one day last week. It was just a few miles from his offices in St Andrew to downtown Kingston.

In the PM's company was Denis O'Brien, the principal of the telecoms company, Digicel. Downtown has, over the past 40 years or so, become a harsh, gritty, crime-infested area, which goes mostly dormant at night. What ought to be prime real estate is largely at waste.

Highly symbolic

It was highly symbolic, therefore, that Mr O'Brien went downtown to recommit to his company's intention to construct its regional headquarters in the old section of the capital on the Kingston waterfront. Digicel, launched in Jamaica under a decade ago, is known for its marketing dynamism, and its presence downtown might do what Jamaican governments have talked a lot about for a long time, but failed to accomplish: provide a fillip for the rejuvenation of the old city. There has, so far, been a handful of private restorations and a sporadic bits-and-pieces approach to infrastructure development.

Mr Golding has said a concerted redevelopment project will centre on a foreign ministry building he plans for downtown and the creation of a kind of embassy row, which is unlikely. The government is providing tax incentives to help jump-start the project.

The Government can accelerate the process by rigorously reinforcing Mr Golding's ban on the rush by government ministries and agencies uptown. Indeed, government offices should be forced to go back downtown, where state agencies have at least 130,000 square feet of vacant office space. Their occupation could put a substantial dent in government's annual rent bill of over $1.2 billion, which can't be sneezed at in these bad economic times.

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