is no accountability in the government, and if proj-
ects run late, no one really cares.”
The lack of project management maturity in
the region makes it especially difficult for Carib-
bean countries to streamline their infrastruc-
ture development processes. Poor management
practices drive up project costs and leave fewer
resources for the development of standardized
project management practices. “It is a vicious
cycle,” Mr. Samuel says.
Although PPPs are still relatively new in some
Caribbean countries, the region already has seen
some success. One of its biggest PPP projects is
underway in Jamaica, where the country is about
“Private companies bring efficiencies and account-
ability to these efforts, which is sorely needed.”
THROWING A LINE
External assistance could help Caribbean projects
improve their performance. Currently, infrastructure projects often go over budget and are delivered
late, which drives up costs for the already resource-constrained governments, according to a World
Bank report. For example, a recent high-profile
project to rebuild Jamaica’s North Coast Highway
from Montego Bay to Negril was delivered three
years late and US$47 million over budget. And
that’s a common situation, Mr. Samuel says. “There
We are hopelessly behind when it comes to
infrastructure. Energy costs are enormous, our road
networks are terrible and the public sector doesn’t have the
money or capacity to manage these projects effectively.”
—Brian Samuel, Caribbean Development Bank, St. Michael, Barbados
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