Karl Samuda (born 8 February 1942) is a Jamaican politician. He completed his education at the University of Ottawa and is currently the

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for Water, Works and Housing in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

and previously the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries and served in that position between 2007 and 2011.
Karl Samuda is a businessman, farmer and a technocrat and, is best known as a veteran politician. He attended Ardenne High School and pursued

tertiary education Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Ottawa. Steeped in the discipline of Business Administration, he returned to Jamaica and was employed to Alcan Jamaica Limited and Industrial Gases Limited before venturing into furniture manufacturing and later farming, vocations which still occupy his interest, if and when his ministerial duties and political activities allow. Karl Samuda also served on the

Electoral Commission of Jamaica The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) is the independent statutory agency of the Government of Jamaica responsible for organising, conducting and supervising elections, by-elections and referendums. Objective of the Electoral Commission The ...

, having previously served an eight-year stint as a member of the Electoral Advisory Committee. A former General Secretary of the

Jamaica Labour Party The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in seve ...

, Karl Samuda has been the Member of Parliament for Saint Andrew North Central since

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

, and has the distinction of representing both major political parties in that constituency. He has served as

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

in earlier administrations and was Minister of Industry, Commerce Agriculture & Fisheries as well as Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC), He also serves as Minister of Education from 2019-2020. He is married and has three sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuda, Karl Living people Members of the House of Representatives of Jamaica Government ministers of Jamaica Education Ministers of Jamaica University of Ottawa alumni Place of birth missing (living people) Members of the 14th Parliament of Jamaica 1942 births