KINGSTON, Jamaica— Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has announced a series of activities from May 16 to 20, 2022, that will be held to develop a comprehensive policy and legal framework for the Entertainment, Cultural and Creative Industries (ECCI) in Jamaica.

“Jamaica is at an advanced state of the formulation and consultative phases, and importantly, international experts, Ms Ojoma Ochai and Miss Ashley Cork are facilitating a series of workshops and consultations with stakeholders who work within the Entertainment Cultural and Creative Industries (ECCI’s),” Grange said.

“Ms Ochai of Nigeria and Ms Cork from Jamaica, were selected by the European Union/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s project to strengthen creative industries policy and practice through advocacy, research and skills development. They are experienced in developing policy and legislative frameworks,” she added.

Jamaica was one of only 12 countries selected for technical support under the EU/UNESCO Expert Facility, which acts as an international pool of recognised experts (independent consultants, academics and researchers, governmental officials and civil servants, cultural operators, managers of cultural institutions or associations) who have relevant experience in designing or implementing policies to support cultural and creative sectors including publishing, visual arts, film, music, and the performing arts, the Ministry said in a release.

Legislation to govern the ECCI, will serve to create an enabling framework within which Jamaica’s creative sectors will flourish and increase their contribution to the nations’ gross domestic product (GDP), it added.

“I invite creative practitioners to event managers to technocrats, indeed all who work within agencies which engage the sector, to come out and be involved in the process. Ms Ochai and Miss Cork will continue to share with us over the course of this week,” Grange disclosed.

“The project is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. In 2018, I had strategically located the National Cultural and Creative Industries Council (NCCIC) within my Ministry, so as to streamline the Entertainment and Creative Sectors. The NCCIC, now branded as Jamaica Creative, has the overall responsibility of implementing the project,” Grange said.

Creatives, and members of the public, are invited to attend the events which include workshops on the topic ‘Toward Creating Legislation for the Entertainment Culture and Creative Industries and Economy’, to be held at the Jamaica Pegasus (Port Antonio Room), Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 9:00 am and the launch of the UNESCO publication, ‘Reshaping Policies for Creativity Global Report’ and Jamaica’s Quadrennial Periodic Report (QPR) Agenda, at the AC Hotel (Innovation Room) on Thursday, May 19, at 11:00 am.