A 10-year plan to place Jamaica’s creatives at the centre of national development with stronger legal protection, better funding, and insurance benefits, is now up for discussion after Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange tabled a Green Paper on the issue in Parliament on Tuesday.

The proposed National Policy for Culture, Entertainment and the Creative Economy 2025–2035 provides
a comprehensive framework to modernise and expand Jamaica’s cultural and entertainment sectors, positioning them as key contributors to economic growth and social progress.

Grange told the House that the policy is designed to preserve Jamaica’s cultural heritage while unlocking new opportunities for artists, musicians, and cultural practitioners.

“This green paper will be the subject of discussion and consultation, as we work together to secure for Jamaica a transformative framework which both preserves and promotes our rich culture and heritage as a priority and unlocks the full potential of Jamaica’s vibrant creative sectors,” said Grange.

She noted that Jamaica’s creative economy already contributes more than five per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and supports nearly three per cent of employment — placing it alongside tourism, agriculture, and construction as a vital economic pillar.

According to Grange, the new policy aims to build on this foundation through legislative reform, capacity building, and strategic investment.

“The green paper we present today, reflects a bold and visionary design, shaped by ongoing consultative processes with our cultural experts and entertainment, culture and creative industry (ECCI) practitioners. We position them at the heart of Jamaica’s human and economic development, recognising their power as engines of human and socio-economic development and transformation,” said Grange.

The minister said the new policy seeks to involve benefits that will safeguard the welfare of creatives across the industry.

“It encapsulates a number of benefits and protections which will enshrine safeguards around the Jamaica Entertainers and Creatives Insurance Plan which provides both health and life insurance for our entertainers, creatives and cultural practitioners; undergirds incentives around tools of trade, facilitates preferential and free movement of entertainers, creatives and cultural practitioners; strengthening the sector through the recognition, integration and sustainability of associations within the the sector,” Grange explained.

She added that the new framework will go further by building stronger governance structures, increasing investment, and creating new pathways for professional growth.

“We are providing an institutional architecture that values and strengthens our cultural identity, prioritises cultural resource management, nurtures talent and prepares our creatives for global competition,” she said.

Among the major initiatives is the establishment of the Institute for Cultural Practitioners, Innovators, Entertainers and Creatives (ICPIEC), which Grange described as a “centre of innovation and excellence” which will offer education and professional development across a range of creative disciplines — from the arts and digital technology to gastronomy and archaeology.

“The ICPIEC will provide the full range, by leveraging local and international partnerships, envisaged to include our universities and colleges to champion human development, reinforcing the holistic nature of Jamaica’s creative ecosystem. We are providing an institutional architecture that values and strengthens our cultural identity, prioritises cultural resource management, nurtures talent and prepares our creatives for global competition,” she said.

To complement this, Grange also announced that a Jamaica Entertainment and Cultural Development Foundation will be created to provide sustainable funding for projects and programmes.

“With its status as a charity, this foundation will mobilise and direct investments from Government, diaspora, and private donors, supporting infrastructure development, event and programme-centred funding and institutional support — all crucial to the sector’s expansion and sustainability,” Grange told Parliament.

She also proposed that an Entertainment, Culture and Creative Economy Act will anchor the new policy, offering a clear legal structure to formalise the industry.

“This crucial legislation will streamline Government engagement with the sector, safeguard the rights and interests of creatives, encourage private sector collaboration and incentive the sector,” Grange said.

She argued that the legislation will also allow for more accurate measurement and monitoring of the creative sector’s contribution to national development, ensuring that future policies remain “adaptive to technological, economic and social trends.”

While focused on growth, Grange noted that the policy also emphasises cultural preservation and sustainability.

“We also commit to strengthen our programmes designed to ensure local and international recognition of our rich tangible and living heritage,” Grange said as she pointed to the recent inscription of the revival pilgrimage to Watt Town and the Archaeological Landscape of 17th-Century Port Royal.

She added that the new framework will also embrace modern tools to protect and promote Brand Jamaica.

“Another important feature is also the intention to fully institute a robust disaster risk management strategy that ensures we are responsive to the increasing effects of climate change. It provides for leveraging frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital tools to empower creatives and protect our unique cultural identity that defines and fuels Brand Jamaica,” Grange noted.

The proposed National Policy for Culture, Entertainment and the Creative Economy 2025–2035 provides a comprehensive framework to modernise and expand Jamaica’s cultural and entertainment sectors. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)