SCOTT. says Jamaica will be establishing passport production centres in four missions abroad

Prime Minister P J Patterson yesterday held out five Cabinet-backed incentives to overseas Jamaicans, including improved passport services and a dedicated bond issue, in a move designed to deepen economic ties with the 2.6 million nationals who reside abroad and present them with expanded opportunities for investing here.

Patterson's announcement of a 'Jamaica Bond Issue' geared at nationals overseas, builds on a three-year-old trade policy crafted under Anthony Hylton that identified the overseas community as a source of capital, and an even older commitment by the prime minister to "build a nation without borders".

The bond, said Patterson as he opened the inaugural Jamaica Diaspora Conference, will be "a government secured financial instrument which will provide reasonable financial returns". He gave no other details.

Patterson also announced at the conference - to sustained applause - that there would be significant improvements to the passport system.

Jamaica, it emerged later in a presentation by Gilbert Scott, will be establishing passport production centres in four of its largest missions abroad under a broad-based plan that will eventually cut the turnaround time on processing and delivery of the document to overseas applicants down to one week.

The finer details and cost of the programme is still being assessed.

The other initiatives that the prime minister outlined involved:

. the establishment of a 'Jamaica Diaspora Foundation' through which Jamaica will speak to overseas Jamaicans about national development and other issues,

. an annual Diaspora Day,

. establishment of 'trade councils' throughout the Diaspora.

The two-day conference brings together over 250 delegates from the United States, Canada and United Kingdom.

Patterson told delegates that Jamaica was well on its way to meet one of its main objectives of transforming the economy into a "knowledge-based one, generating value-added exports and sustaining wealth creation with high-paying jobs".

This, he said, will be done through private investments - local, regional and foreign as a strategic tool to achieve development goals.

But the prime minister also spoke of the challenges such as crime, and globalisation which he said could further marginalise developing countries.

The conference continues today and ends tonight with a dinner and dance at the Hilton Hotel. Alvin Curling, a Jamaican and speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada will deliver the keynote address.

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