J’cans in midwest urged to come home for Diaspora conference
MEMBERS of the Jamaican Diaspora, residing in the midwest of the United States, have been urged to make every effort to attend the upcoming Diaspora Conference in Montego Bay from June 16 to 19.
Addressing nationals at a Town Hall meeting at the Redeemer Covenant Church, in the city of Minneapolis last Thursday, Ambassador to the United States Stephen Vasciannie pointed out that the conference will give participants an opportunity to hear, first-hand, how the Government and stakeholders are dealing with issues, such as national security, healthcare, education, investments, and job creation.
In keeping with the theme of the conference: ‘A Nation on a Mission: Jamaica — Diaspora Partnership for Development’, the ambassador noted that Jamaica has done extremely well in its partnership with the Diaspora, and that the upcoming conference will break new and exciting grounds in a number of areas, including the unveiling of the Draft Diaspora Policy document.
The ambassador told the Jamaican nationals that they should begin to capitalize on the benefits of Brand Jamaica. He pointed out that the diaspora marketplace exposition would allow exhibitors to present business and investment opportunities to persons attending the conference.
Among the major projects that will be on display are the global logistics hub initiative, agro parks, the development of downtown Kingston, and ICT parks.
Ambassador Vasciannie, who was on a three-day official visit to Minneapolis, updated nationals on various developments in the island, and held talks with representatives of the various health institutions — the Minneapolis Hospital for Children, the Gillette Children’s Specialty Health Care, and Hennepin County Medical Centre.
He also met with Dean of the University of the Minnesota Law School David Wippman and other faculty members.
The ambassador’s visit was at the invitation of the Organisation of Strategic Development in Jamaica, a non-profit body based in Minneapolis, dedicated to contributing to the effort to improve healthcare delivery in Jamaica.
