The takeaway from last nights Townhall with Jamaicas Minister of Foreign Trade, Arnaldo Brown - There are 2.7M Jamaicans living at home and 3.5M living abroad - Jamaicans remit $2B USD back home to family and friends annually - In looking at examples of Israelis, Indians, and Chinese, there is SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITY for the strength of Jamaicas diaspora living elsewhere throughout the world to make an impact in advancing Jamaica in many different ways - Jamaica has a Vision 2030 initiative to become a developed nation by the year 2030 (Google it for more details on the specific focal points of this initiative) - Jamaican Government formalized relationships with its diaspora 10 years ago - In order to most effective, Jamaica needs to understand the skills and capabilities of Jamaicans worldwide. - Please visit mapjadiaspora.iom.int and complete the survey so there is a better understanding of each others strengths as we look to pursue opportunities in bettering Jamaica ( Also like Mapping Jamaicas Diaspora on Facebook and @mapjadiaspora on Twitter and Instagram ) - The next Jamaica Diaspora Conference is June 13th-18th, 2015 in MoBay, JA . Please plan to attend. - To address the issue of food production using Jamaicas natural resources, the Jamaican Government has established Agro Parks to help to utilize our farming resources. More innovation and investment are needed in this area and that is just ONE area in which the diaspora can be of assistance. - To address the issue of individuals claiming to carry products into Jamaica to donate but instead turn around and selling it, Jamaica established the Charities Act which necessitates that you must be a registered charity to be able bring in goods for donation purpose. You can partner with one of these organizations such as Food for the Poor or look into getting your charity registered. - Jamaica exports $185M USD worth of goods to the US annually and imports $1B of US goods. There is SIGNIFICANT opportunity there to help to increase our exports to the US and other countries. - Jamaica enjoys a favorable trade surplus with ONLY 5 nations in the world. We must produce and export more and therein lies a lot of opportunity. - Jamaica is focusing on being a Near Shore alternative for companies looking to outsource their operations such as Call Centers and such. Have made progress here but much more opportunity resides here. - Regarding the economic opportunities from Ganja Legalization, using Colorado and Washington as examples, the minister pointed out that the medicinal use of ganja in Jamaica has NEVER been illegal and still isnt. Jamaica is taking increased measures to decriminalize the use of ganja for personal use. Regarding any further steps towards full legalization, he mentioned that Jamaica is a part of a treaty with about 20 other nations regarding the control of various narcotics and has to abide by the terms of that treaty. As a result, they arent in a position to fully legalize it without the cooperation of other nations but can take steps to decriminalize it and use for medicinal purposes - My takeaway in summary, is that Jamaica has a wealth of resources both at home and abroad and both natural as well as human. There is a massive amount of brainpower and capital that has left the island that, when channeled appropriately, can make a huge difference in improving our beloved nation. There is a significant opportunity for us Jamaicans living off the Rock to contribute to Jamaicas brighter tomorrow. Lets all make it a lifelong mission to dedicate ourselves to improving our homeland in ways according to wherever your heart is lead. One Love. Blessup !!
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 22:23:08 +0000
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