An important page in the history of Gozo was written on Friday, 7 August 2015.  On that day, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat inaugurated RS2’s new Gozo offices following an investment of €1 million by the company.

There are currently 20 Gozitans working with the company which, during the next three years, is expected to increase its workforce to fifty and to a further one hundred by 2020.

RS2, which employs 180 employees in its Mosta-based facility, is a global provider of card payment solutions, IT consultancy and related services to international and domestic banks, service providers, retailers and other financial organisations. After more than 26 years in operation, RS2 has offices in Germany, the USA, Brazil, Jordan and Philippines with a total workforce of 300 personnel.

The Gozitan community would like to thank all those who believed in this investment and contributed to its realisation today particularly the investors ably represented by the Chairman, Mario Schembri, and Radi Abd El Haj, and my colleague the Minister for Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo, who made available the site for this new enterprise.

The occasion is significant because it is a harbinger of a new beginning for Gozo after long years of lack of investment.  This means not only the creation of new jobs but also shows a trust in the potential of the island.  We hope that this will be a beacon for other investment ventures in the future.  In the seventies we saw the industrial estate flourish with light manufacturing activities.  Forty years later, in a radically changed world, our aim is to transform Gozo into a niche for service oriented economic activities.  RS2 is a first for Gozo offering a service of global financial cards management.

We have optimistic plans for Gozo. We want to reverse the trend of an aging population and rejuvenate Gozo with new economic activities which in turn will bring youth-related ancillary services. Gozo has huge potential, as a place of business and endeavour.

Some projects have started this year; others will materialize next year while still others are on the drawing board.  Next year we will be welcoming more investment in services through Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. The benefits will be many. It will not be long before the Gozo campus gains an international reputation; improved healthcare for residents as Gozo General Hospital is redeveloped; an economic boost from the presence of 300 students and their tutors, and an injection into the economy from international health tourism, not just in terms of treatment but recuperation too.

Our plans will follow this path of clean and high value added skill-based investment, without spoiling the beauty of the island and to do our utmost to bring back the youths we have lost over the years because of the lack of job opportunities.  The Xewkija industrial estate is to be expanded to create space for an SME Park, and a whole range of incentives is available for businesses, to recruit, train and retain staff. 

While a study is taking place into the feasibility of a bridge between Gozo and Malta it is important to recognise the less visible advances in connectivity.  A second broadband cable between Gozo and Malta will strengthen Gozo’s digital access and increase further the island’s attractiveness for the IT sector.

Our policy is already bearing some fruit.  Indeed, the gap in gross national income between the Maltese and Gozitans has narrowed. The number of Gozitans registering for work has fallen seven per cent since 2013, and stood at 690 in June.

In the words of the Prime Minister, Gozo may appear to be travelling along a quiet road, but it’s actually zooming up the information superhighway. 

 Dr Refalo is the Minister for Gozo