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JAMPRO secures regional directorship of global investment promotion association

Kingston, Jamaica – JAMPRO, Jamaica’s national trade and investment promotion agency, has won its bid to represent the Central America and Caribbean region as a director on the Steering Committee of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA).

The agency secured the regional directorship following elections staged during the General Assembly of the XVIII WAIPA Annual World Investment Conference, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 11 and 12. Sancia Bennett Templer, JAMPRO’s President, in presenting the organization’s candidacy for the directorship stated that “As a member of WAIPA for over a decade, JAMPRO has a strong commitment to WAIPA and the objectives that it seeks to achieve on behalf of its member states. Central to our commitment to ensuring the sustainability of WAIPA, is our commitment to increasing the value of membership for all WAIPA members and especially for our regional members.”

JAMPRO’s campaign for the WAIPA directorship was predicated on its history of collaboration and partnership, as well as its exemplary investment promotion credentials. The agency’s election platform highlighted investment in recent years by global hotel chains, primarily from Spain, in addition to the robust expansion of the ICT/BPO sector, which has created employment for over 13,000 Jamaicans. The organization’s candidacy was supported by the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA), of which Mrs. Bennett-Templer is First Vice-President. Ronald Theodore, CAIPA’s President, was also in attendance at the event.

“JAMPRO is honoured to be elected to the WAIPA Steering Committee as the regional director for the Central America and Caribbean region. The endorsement that we have received from the members of WAIPA has been overwhelming and it affirms their confidence in JAMPRO’s capacity and commitment to fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of the directorship,” added Templer.

JAMPRO’s long and distinguished relationship with WAIPA dates back to 2000, when then JAMPRO president Patricia Francis began her tenure as WAIPA president. JAMPRO’s early work with WAIPA inspired the agency to partner with regional Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) in the Caribbean to establish CAIPA.

The XVIII WAIPA Annual World Investment Conference brought together government officials, senior private sector executives, representatives from IPAs as well as members of civil society and academia. Against the backdrop of faltering global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and unsteady investment levels, the forum facilitated discussion on the development of self-reinforcing policies to instigate growth.

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