Jamaican Trade Council To Be Launched In Philadelphia

The Jamaican Trade Council of Greater Philadelphia (JTCGP) will be officially launched on March 27, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Philadelphia.
Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, K.D. Knight is expected to deliver the keynote address.
In an interview with JIS News, Jamaica’s Honorary Consul in Philadelphia, Dr. Alston Meade, who will launch the Council, lauded the progress made by the JTCGP.
He also noted the support that the group had received. “We are most appreciative of the invaluable contribution from two principal sources; first, the Philadelphia city government for providing a meeting place and guidance; and the Community Relations Office at the Consulate in New York, which was extremely effective in facilitating communication with government and business leaders in Jamaica,” Dr. Meade said.
Janet Madden, Community Relations Officer at the Jamaican Consulate in New York and a founding member of the trade council, discussed plans to establish other such organizations throughout the United States. “In keeping with the Government’s thrust of engaging Jamaicans in the Diaspora and with continued assistance from entities such as JAMPRO, we intend to launch other trade councils in California, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. this year alone,” Mrs. Madden told JIS News.
Formed in January 2003, the council’s primary objective is to promote trade between businesses in Jamaica and the greater Philadelphia area. The JTCGP members visited Jamaica on a fact-finding mission last year and also hosted a business seminar in conjunction with the city of Philadelphia last September.