By Sherika Williams
KINGSTON, Jamaica (GIS) – A Jamaican business delegation, comprising representatives from 11 entities, will embark on a multi-country Latin America mission from July 17 to 26. The countries to be visited are Mexico, Colombia, and El Salvador.
The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO)-organised trip, which will be led by the minister of industry, investment and commerce, senator Aubyn Hill, will explore and secure new opportunities in these non-traditional markets.
JAMPRO president, Shullette Cox, told JIS News that the mission seeks to promote Jamaican goods and services, while highlighting the country’s potential in foreign direct investments and exports.
“When we do these business missions, it’s not just about investment but also about exposing our exporting communities to new markets and new business opportunities,” she noted. “While this isn’t the first multi-country mission that JAMPRO has been a part of, it’s their first venture into a non-traditional market, making it highly exploratory.”
Cox said that JAMPRO has established a three-member New Market Development Team to engage the Latin American market; and noted that two of the team members have lived in Latin America, bringing valuable contacts and insights.
“Once we get into the market and we meet the potential investors and buyers of Jamaican goods and services, our team will work with those contacts to bring them to a point where we can say these people are serious about doing business in Jamaica. We will progress them through all the steps that we have in JAMPRO, making sure that they become a business reality for Jamaica,’” Cox said.
The agency will also be leveraging Jamaica’s foreign missions in Mexico and Colombia, working closely with the ministry of foreign affairs and foreign trade.
Cox said that the success of the business trip will be based on “how many people we’re able to message about the investment opportunities [and] the export opportunities coming out of Jamaica. I’m sure I speak on behalf of my private-sector delegates, that success for them would be having a better understanding of the opportunities in the market.”
JAMPRO is an agency under the ministry of industry, investment and commerce with a mission to drive Jamaica’s economic development through growth in investment and export and provide a range of services to investors and exporters, facilitating their success in global markets.
