Mon | Mar 9, 2026

Thanksgiving service marks CBFFAJ’s 60 years of service to trade and logistics sector

Published:Monday | March 9, 2026 | 12:06 AM
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(From left) Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Fayval Williams, Marcia Bent, CBFFAJ president and Anthony Hylton, opposition spokesman on trade, industry and global logistics at the CBFFAJ 60th Anniversary Church Service.
Contributed
(From left) Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Fayval Williams, Marcia Bent, CBFFAJ president and Anthony Hylton, opposition spokesman on trade, industry and global logistics at the CBFFAJ 60th Anniversary Church Service.
Bishop Paulette Watt (left), Montego Bay-based customs broker and vice-president of CBFFAJ, with Corah Ann Sylvester, president of Shipping Association of Jamaica. Seated in the background is Ann Brown Chang, CBFFAJ vice-president.
Contributed
Bishop Paulette Watt (left), Montego Bay-based customs broker and vice-president of CBFFAJ, with Corah Ann Sylvester, president of Shipping Association of Jamaica. Seated in the background is Ann Brown Chang, CBFFAJ vice-president.
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The Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association of Jamaica (CBFFAJ) commemorated its 60th anniversary – a Diamond Jubilee – with a Thanksgiving Church Service, marking six decades of professional service to Jamaica’s trade and logistics sector. Delivering remarks at the Church of the Open Bible in Kingston, CBFFAJ President Marcia Bent paid tribute to the association’s founding members, its past presidents, and current membership, describing the organisation as an indispensable pillar of Jamaica’s economy.

“Every container that arrives at Kingston Wharves, every consignment cleared at the Norman Manley and Sangster International airports, every shipment that gets from a port halfway around the world to a business or household here in Jamaica – customs brokers make that possible,” said Bent.

Founded in 1965, the CBFFAJ has served as the representative body for licensed customs brokers and freight forwarders across Jamaica, playing a central role in facilitating the movement of goods through the country’s ports and cargo facilities. The association has navigated the full digitisation of customs operations –from paper entries to the ASYCUDA system – and has been a consistent advocate for a business environment that recognises the vital contribution of trade facilitation professionals.

Bent used the occasion to outline the CBFFAJ’s forward vision, highlighting priorities including the adoption of artificial intelligence and data analytics in trade operations, the elevation of professional standards and compliance, investment in the next generation of trade professionals, and the deepening of partnerships with the Jamaica Customs Agency, the Port Authority of Jamaica, government ministries, and regional and international bodies.

The service also coincided with International Women’s Day, and the president took the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of women in the customs brokerage and freight forwarding industry.

Speaking on the milestone, the CBFFAJ president reflected, “A jubilee is not only a moment to look back –it is a moment to look forward with renewed vision and purpose. The world is not standing still, and neither will CBFFAJ.”