Diaspora conference identifies gaps in assistance with Jamaica’s development

NEW YORK, USA — The recently concluded Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) conference for the north-east United States has identified the establishment of a Diaspora Business and Investment Network as one area it believes the Diaspora could play a crucial role in as it relates to contributing to Jamaica’s development. Currently, the Diaspora’s single-largest investment in Jamaica’s development is through remittances, with inflows totaling US$3.12 billion for fiscal year 2025 to 2026, according to the minister of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Alando Terrelonge, who was among several speakers who addressed the conference. Establishment of the Diaspora Business and Investment Network was one of three major recommendations coming out of the two-day summit which was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. from October 23 to 24, 2026. However, Michelle Tulloch-Neil, who heads the GJDC for the north-east US, made it clear that “the recommendations will need further consideration and final agreement, and therefore have not been formally presented as approved commitments or established programmes”. She said other major recommendations call for a Northeast US Diaspora Agricultural Partnership and a Youth and Emerging Leaders Programme. A Conference Implementation Framework that will, among other things, prioritise and implement decisions that are arrived at, was also discussed. Elaborating on the proposed Diaspora Business and Investment Network, Tulloch-Neil said “the idea and intended benefit is to improve communication between Diaspora business stakeholders and relevant Jamaican institutions, and to help identify opportunities for mutual economic engagement. “Similarly, the intended benefit from the proposed Northeast US Diaspora Agricultural Partnership is to explore practical ways in which Diaspora expertise and resources could support farmers productivity,” Tulloch-Neil told the Jamaica Observer. Held under the theme: ‘One Diaspora, One vision, Advancing Jamaica Together’, the conference drew participants from business and industry, finance, academia and students. Apart from the three priority areas there were also discussions on immigration issues whereby the importance of understanding one’s rights when interacting with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were addressed. In acknowledging the contributions of Jamaicans at home and abroad in facilitating Jamaica’s recovery from various setbacks, Terrelonge noted: “In the three months immediately following Hurricane Melissa, Jamaicans abroad sent home US$93 million more than the same period during the previous year,” adding that, “December of 2025 recorded an historic high of US$296 million for a single month.” He also acknowledged that beyond financial support, Jamaicans in the United States have continually mobilised volunteers, professional expertise, cultural advocacy, and sustained community engagement that have benefited both countries. A business luncheon hosted by Terrelonge at which discussions focused on investment, trade, entrepreneurship, financial education and collaboration, attracted some 40 business leaders from the north-east United States. The minister also gave an assurance that the Government “is exploring how best to incorporate several proposals — which came out of the 11th Jamaica Diaspora Biennial Conference held in Montego Bay in June this year — into the Administration’s national development agenda”. Tulloch-Neil added that a proposed January 2027 stakeholder forum to address and reach final agreement on the recommendations from the Philadelphia conference is being considered.