KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government is set to establish the Institute for Cultural Practitioners, Innovators, Entertainers and Creatives (ICPIEC), envisioned as a centre of innovation and excellence offering culture- and heritage-focused programming.

It will also facilitate cutting-edge, flexible education and professional development across a wide array of creative disciplines, including the arts, digital technology, archaeology, gastronomy, and creative entrepreneurship.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, made the disclosure during a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, where she tabled a Green Paper on the National Policy for Culture, Entertainment and the Creative Economy.

“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,” she said.

“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. The micro credentialing model will allow cultural practitioners and creatives to continue to earn while upskilling to the highest levels of certification,” the minister added.

To complement this initiative, the Government will establish the Jamaica Entertainment and Cultural Development Foundation to provide a dedicated and sustainable funding mechanism.

Grange noted that, as a registered charity, the foundation will mobilise and direct investments from government, the diaspora, and private donors – supporting infrastructure development, programme-based funding, event execution, fundraising efforts, and institutional capacity-building, all vital to the sector’s growth and sustainability.

“The policy also treats with the sustainability and advancement mechanisms of the Festival economy, which will impact our community, national, regional and international festivals,” she stated.

The ministry is advancing the promulgation of an Entertainment, Culture and Creative Economy Act, designed to streamline government engagement with the sector, safeguard the rights and interests of creatives, foster private-sector collaboration, and incentivise sustainable growth across the creative industries.

“It will enable us to formalise the industry, measure, monitor and value its contribution, and ensure policies remain adaptive to technological, economic, and social trends,” Grange said.

— JIS