JBDC Mapping Cultural And Creative Industries

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) is conducting a mapping exercise of cultural and creative industries in Jamaica to determine the value of the sector and develop recommendations on how to grow the creative economy.

It is being done in collaboration with the British Council, which is providing funding.

The agency’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Harold Davis, who made the disclosure at the JBDC’s ‘Breakfast with the CEO’ earlier this month, said there is currently a lack of statistical information available on the local creative sector.

He said that the mapping exercise will provide empirical data to “allow us to make robust policy decisions, create substantive programmes of assistance, and importantly, to value and measure the contribution of the creative industries to gross domestic product (GDP), employment and wealth creation”.

“The aim of this study is to define the size and impact of the sector and develop recommendations on how to support its continued growth,” he added.

Mr. Davis said that the mapping exercise began in the first week of March with the release of a survey targeting hundreds of stakeholders in the creative industries.

The survey will officially end on March 23, which will be followed by data analysis, stakeholder engagement and the submission of a report to the JBDC at the end of April.

Mr. Davis said that following receipt of the report, the JBDC will embark on strategic action to get entrepreneurs “from concept to market”.

The industries being surveyed are music, literature and publishing, design, visual arts, gifts and crafts, film, television, digital media, advertising and marketing, theatre, dance and performing arts, fashion, culinary/gastronomy, museums, galleries and libraries, festivals, fairs and feasts.

Persons in the cultural and creative industries can be a part of the survey by visiting the following link: https://na1se.voxco.com/SE/114/jamaicacci/ .