The 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, which is currently underway in Montego Bay, Jamaica, has achieved its largest number of registrants ever, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith.
Johnson Smith announced that over 1,100 individuals have registered, surpassing the government’s target of 1,000 participants.
She addressed the registrants at a welcome cocktail reception to commence the event.
Running until June 19 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, the conference brings together Jamaicans from over 15 countries to discuss national development and societal progress.
“It is our largest number of sponsors ever,” Johnson Smith shared. “It is our largest marketplace ever. I feel really moved to celebrate that this continued growing and expanded support of movement by our nationals at home and abroad is something of which we can all collectively be proud.”
The minister thanked the diaspora members present and invited them to actively participate in this year’s sessions and in nation building.
State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Alando Terrelonge, expressed similar sentiments while underscoring the conference theme. He called the conference a significant opportunity for Jamaicans, regardless of where they reside, to unite for a better Jamaica.
“This conference gives us a chance to reaffirm that regardless of when you left Jamaica… that you remain a part of our community. It is a celebration of our shared heritage and testament to the enduring bonds that unite us across borders,” he said.
Sponsors want to strengthen relationship with diaspora
Legacy sponsors VM Group, GraceKennedy, and the Jamaica National Group joined the ministers in urging Jamaica to further strengthen its relationship with the diaspora, highlighting the advantages of deeper collaboration.
This year’s conference chair, Courtney Campbell, president and CEO of VM Group, described the diaspora’s participation as a means of “actively engaging in the search for greater outcomes for our people and our nation.”
“[It] is a display of unity and with unity eventually comes peace, greater productivity, and empowerment for our young people,” he said, echoing the conference theme, “United for Jamaica’s Transformation: Fostering Peace, Productivity, and Youth Empowerment.”
GraceKennedy Financial Group CEO, Grace Burnett, said the conference is an opportunity for Jamaica to “harness the power of unity and collective action to shape a brighter future for Jamaica.”
Meanwhile, General Manager of the JN Foundation, Claudine Allen, representing the JN Group, invited the diaspora to directly engage in philanthropic activities to uplift more local communities.
She specifically encouraged involvement with the JN Circle, a network of volunteers started by the JN Group in 2020, located in all parishes across the country and in the UK and Canada.
“Wherever Jamaicans come together we are interested in building their capacity and preparing them for prosperity,” she assured the audience.
Read more on the diaspora conference:
- Diaspora Satellite Launch-Southern USA 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference highlights
- 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference set for global launch
- Jamaican diaspora invited to 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference
