Diaspora Urged to Support Thrust to Increase Exports

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Ken Baugh, has urged Jamaicans abroad to support the Government programme to improve export capacity and to take advantage of trade arrangements.
“We need the Diaspora to work on our behalf. We need members of the Diaspora, who have the ability and technology, to transfer that technology back to Jamaica to help us improve our capacity to export and to take advantage of the new international free trade arrangements,” Dr. Baugh stated.
“The Diaspora is well situated. You have knowledge of the marketplace here; we need that information and data,” he added.
He was speaking to Jamaicans in the United Kingdom yesterday (April 20), at a community meeting held at the Jamaican High Commission in London.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr Kenneth Baugh, addresses Jamaicans in the United Kingdom at a community held at the Jamaican High Commission in London on April 20.

The Foreign Minister, in the meantime, told the gathering that more emphasis is being placed on improving the social conditions of the poor and marginalised to reduce crime and violence and to attract more investment to the country.
“We have to correct the social circumstances if we want to absorb investments. The talk is now of the absorptive capacity of your country, and where you are able to take advantage. We have to re-engineer our society from the grassroots. A lot of work is being done to.make sure that Jamaica becomes receptive to enterprise and investments,” Dr. Baugh stated.
He noted that a lot of young people are receptive to change and want to take advantage of initiatives to access jobs and improve their welfare.