Global Services Association of Jamaica Partners with Chicago’s 1871 to Boost Tech Industry

The Global Services Association of Jamaica (GSAJ) has announced plans to forge a partnership with 1871, the largest incubator in Chicago, to provide Jamaican tech professionals with greater access to global markets.

The collaboration will be formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), designed to foster growth and opportunity for tech companies in Jamaica.

Vice President of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Logistics at the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), Gloria Henry, made the announcement while speaking at the media launch of GSAJ’s Outsource2Jamaica (O2J) 2025, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston, on Tuesday (February 25).

The MOU will allow Jamaican tech professionals to tap into the resources and expertise available at 1871, including funding, connections, and tech support.

“We’re looking to sign an MOU with 1871 so that we can have the support that our tech people need to tap into the First-World market,” said Ms. Henry.

“Local tech professionals will have the opportunity to go into Chicago and sit in 1871 and learn from some of the best,” she continued.

The partnership will also create opportunities for 1871 to engage with the Jamaican tech community.

“Likewise, 1871 will send people here so they can also train our people and get them ready to sell outside of Jamaica,” Ms. Henry said.

The GSAJ has a proven track record of supporting investors and building successful incubators in Jamaica.

The organisation played a crucial role in establishing a 220-seat incubator in Montego Bay, which has hosted 15 firms, with 14 of them becoming successful operators in Jamaica.

“Our goal at the global services is not to stay in one place. We hand-hold investors when they come here. This is what we do,” Ms. Henry said.

The GSAJ is also expanding its infrastructure with a new 95-seat tech incubator in Portmore, a region known for its skilled workforce and technological resources.

“So, all the tech people who are looking for a startup space or who want to go into an acceleration mode, we have the Portmore Informatics Park,” she explained.

“I don’t have to tell you about Portmore, that it is the gateway to technology in terms of the skillsets that reside there, in terms of the number of people that you can tap into for skills and demand. So, we are building out that facility, but most importantly, this time we’re going big,” Ms. Henry added.