KINGSTON, Jamaica— Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith says the late Don Wehby was a distinguished and principled business leader who has demonstrated unparalleled commitment to Jamaica’s growth and development.

Johnson Smith, who is also the leader of Government Business in the Senate, in a statement on Monday, described Wehby as, “a distinguished and principled business leader, legislator and philanthropist with whom it was a privilege to serve in the Senate, as legacy partner and as chair of our Diaspora Conference Committee on more than one occasion. He demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to Jamaica’s growth and development and an unwavering belief in the capacity of every Jamaican, including those in the Diaspora, to contribute to social and economic transformation at the national level”.

The former GraceKennedy Group chief executive officer and Government Senator died on Saturday, July 26. He was 62.

READ: Business giant Don Wehby has died

The Ministry Foreign Affairs Ministry further acknowledged its longstanding association with Wehby, spanning several decades and the tremendous support he provided to various initiatives and programmes, especially in relation to the adoption of the National Diaspora Policy and the efforts to boost trade capacity and expand export opportunities in regional and international markets.

“We remain grateful to Mr Wehby for his dedication to Diaspora engagement as reflected in the multiple occasions on which he served as chair of the Jamaica Diaspora Conference. The support provided by Mr Wehby and the GraceKennedy Group has in fact been instrumental in ensuring the success of our conferences. Most recently, we fondly recall his active participation in the official launch of the 10th biennial Diaspora Conference in April 2024 and his exhortation to the Jamaican Diaspora to invest in their homeland, especially in the areas of digital innovation and agriculture.” the ministry said.