We're ready to invest - Members of the diaspora signal intent to finance projects

Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Following the 5th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, at least three Jamaican expatriates have shown interest to invest in their home country.

Vice-president of the United States-based Corporate Philanthropy and Community Partnerships, Kim Watson, said she has already begun preparations for making educational investments.

"I think investment in Jamaica is very important, and I'm beginning the process of doing that with a programme where we work with teachers to get an information technology system set up that can actually ensure that our children have the resources that they need in the classroom," said Watson.

"When I have gone around the island and talked to various principals and teachers, sometimes they just need the basics such as books, art supplies, chairs, tables, and paper. There are just so many basic things that are needed, and that's what I'm investing in," Watson added.

Maxcine Telfer, managing director of the Canadian research and consultancy company Audmax Incorporated, told Western Focus that her company is seeking to create an agriculture-based enterprise in Jamaica.

"We are ready to invest. As a matter of fact, we're looking at an agrobusiness, and that's really why we're here," Telfer said. "Apart from presenting with regards to knowledge exchange, we're looking at the questions of 'Is the grass ready?', 'Is the grass green enough for us to fertilise our agrobusiness?' We're ready. We're ready for business."

WANTS TO EXPAND COMPANY

Eli Christian, operations manager of the Canadian alternative-energy company Sunergy Solutions, said that he was interested in expanding his company in western Jamaica.

"I'm beyond ready to invest because I've already started my company here in Manchester. We're in the process of committing to some sales right now. So we're pushing forward and hope to make a change," said Christian. "I also have a strong interest in western Jamaica as the guest houses and some of the commercial sectors do need that assistance."

Immediate past president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Davon Crump, lauded the diaspora conference as an opportunity for the Jamaican diaspora's business community to network and share investment opportunities that would benefit the country in the long term.

"The conference highlighted quite a few good things about Jamaica," Crump said. "It was a good event, and I hope that in the long term, we will get some benefits out of it."

"It is a networking opportunity for members of the diaspora to get different investment opportunities in Jamaica, especially now, since we are in tough economic times," said Crump.

The Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference is convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and is held in Jamaica every two years. It connects Jamaicans worldwide and seeks to strengthen existing linkages and networks, and builds alliances for the country's sustainable development and standing in the world.