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Govt. Pursuing Development Strategy to Include all Jamaicans
Overseas
The Government is pursuing a development strategy that will fully
extend its policies and services to Jamaicans living overseas.Minister
of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator
Delano Franklyn, told JIS News that this strategy was being pursued
in response to the long-time economic and social contributions that
foreign nationals have made to the country.
He said that Jamaicans overseas have done much for their country
and it was time for the country to look out for their interests.
The State Minister pointed out that the Government "wanted
to send a signal to them that they are a part and parcel to the
development of Jamaica and as such, we are setting out in that regard".
Senator Franklyn noted that in October of last year, the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade had organized a symposium with
the main objective of inviting "representatives from the overseas
community to tell us some of the issues they would like to address
and they underscored and underlined that we needed to increase the
dialogue with the overseas community".
"They also said to us that it would not be wise for the government
to pursue any policy without the full input of the overseas community,"
he added.
Heeding that advice, the Government will take a step towards improving
relations with foreign nationals by mounting a two-day Jamaican
Diaspora Conference, scheduled for June 16 and 17 at the Jamaica
Conference Centre under the theme: 'The Jamaican Diaspora: Unleashing
The Potential'.
More than 250 Jamaicans are expected to be in attendance from the
United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Grace, Kennedy and Company,
Douglas Orane, who is also the Chairman of the Planning Committee
for the Diaspora Conference, emphasized that Jamaicans living overseas
were an invaluable group and a vital source in the economic growth
of their native homeland.
According to Mr. Orane, foreign nationals contributed much to the
country's financial account. He said recent statistics from the
Bank of Jamaica revealed that in excess of US$1.3 billion was received
in remittances from overseas. He also noted that remittances translated
to more than 15 per cent of Jamaica's Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
which was at $7.5 billion.
"For Jamaica to move forward," Mr. Orane said, "there
is something that is critical for us to understand". He explained
that in his opinion, the Jamaican economy was doing well and there
were signs indicating increased growth.
"There are tremendous synergies that we can get as a people
by linking with each other across the distances that exist. The
big advantage in today's world is the ability to network that much
easier. If we can work the same way that the Indian, Chinese, and
Jewish Diasporas have worked in those countries, then we would be
amazed at what we can do," Mr. Orane told JIS News.
He noted that the Diaspora Conference would create the platform
for increased business contacts between Jamaicans at home and abroad
and comprehensively involve more overseas Jamaicans in the political,
social and cultural life of Jamaica. This could be done by incorporating
ideas from the Diaspora community for the formulation of public
policy and the creation of lobby groups in the United States, Canada,
and the United Kingdom to assist Jamaica in international trade.
"Jamaica must be sensitive to Jamaicans overseas, by ensuring
that their needs and concerns are also met," he emphasized.
"The conference, therefore, is to incorporate the proposal
of increasing and deepening the dialogue with the Jamaican community,"
Mr. Orane explained.
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