WASHINGTON, United States (JIS) – Jamaicans living overseas will soon have an opportunity to purchase homes through the National Housing Trust (NHT).

Chairman of the NHT, Ambassador Dr Nigel Clarke, said members of the Jamaican diaspora have been inquiring as to how they could access a home through the Trust.

“The NHT is now working on a programme, which will give members of the diaspora an opportunity to own a home in Jamaica,” he noted.

Ambassador Clarke was addressing a town hall meeting in Queens, New York, with Prime Minister Andrew Holness on September 22.

He pointed out that under the programme being developed, borrowers living in the diaspora will have to contribute to the Trust.

“We have to make sure that after they borrow, they will pay back and continue to contribute to the Trust,” he noted.

“What we want to do is make it easier for members of the diaspora to own a piece of Jamaica. By having a piece of the rock, you will be helping Jamaica to grow. There is something in it for you. There is something in it for Jamaica,” he said.

Ambassador Clarke, who is also deputy chairman of the Economic Growth Council (EGC), said that one of the recommendations made to the Government is for the development of a global Jamaican identification card.

“It will not be a passport. It’s a card that identifies and bonds us,” he explained.

 “When you present that card in Jamaica, it’s a special status; you will not be a visitor to Jamaica. What we want to do is for the Jamaican community around the world to see themselves as one community and be empowered to contribute socially and economically to the development and growth of Jamaica,” he noted further.

Ambassador Clarke said the NGC has also proposed the deepening of engagement with the diaspora in order to ensure that the skills, capital, experience and knowledge of overseas nationals can be fully harnessed for the country’s growth and development.

Ambassador to the United States (US), Audrey Marks, in her remarks, said she was looking forward to working with the diaspora to tap into the wealth of resources and knowledge that exist.

She informed that a number of road shows will be held throughout the US to engage with Jamaicans living in the country.

The town hall meeting was organised by the Jamaican Consulate in New York during the prime minister’s visit last week for the United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith.