BOSTON – Jamaica’s Minister of State for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, is urging overseas nationals to look to the island for investment opportunities.
Delivering the keynote address at the biennial Jamaica Diaspora North East United States (US) conference held on June 16 at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center in Boston, Mrs. Ffolkes-Abrahams cited prospects in information technology, tourism, health tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing.
She said the government is well aware that the majority of the estimated two million Jamaicans were living overseas, mainly in the United Kingdom (UK), Canada and the US, wanted to make an even greater contribution to the social and economic development of the country, and is fully committed to taking decisive policy action to address the underlining impediments to sustained growth.
She stated that efforts are being made “to develop and implement the reforms and the strategies our country needs to grow, that our businesses need to succeed, and more than anything else, for our people to prosper.”
“We see in our country, today, a growing sense of political maturity, particularly in terms of the direction we need to take as a country. All of this is good for Jamaica, it is good for our economy, it is good for the future of our country, and it is good for attracting new investment in our country,” she noted.
Stating that the Diaspora is crucial to the development and growth of Jamaica, Mrs. Ffolkes Abrahams commended the work of the North East region and for the contribution the members continue to make to their homeland.
Others addressing the conference included Jamaica’s Consul-General to New York, Herman LaMont and Honorary Consul to Boston, Denzil McKenzie.
Chairman of the Jamaica Diaspora North East Foundation, Patrick Beckford, and Jamaica Diaspora North East Advisory Board representative, Irwine Claire, Sr., brought greetings.
More than 100 delegates attended the conference, which had as its theme: ‘Jamaica, the pursuit of fellowship and prosperity, the next 50 years’.
Discussions focused on education, human rights, tourism, and trade and industry.
