The mission delivered through the United Kingdom Trade Partnerships Programme (UKTP) by the International Trade Centre (ITC), with support from JAMPRO and the Jamaica Technology & Digital Alliance provided tailored training, export readiness support, and direct business matchmaking with UK buyers.

This is according to the UK High Commission in Jamaica.

British High Commissioner to Jamaica Alicia Herbert OBE recently met with the returning cohort and praised Jamaica’s rapidly expanding digital sector as a force on the global stage.

“The excellence Jamaica is known for in sport, culture and music is now clearly emerging in the tech sector. Partnerships between the UK and Jamaica in this space are ripe for the taking,” said Herbert.

Although commercial deals from trade missions typically take months to finalise, Jamaican firms have already secured tangible outcomes from the 142 business meetings held during the mission. These include:

-36 high-potential commercial opportunities generated

-Four NDAs signed to launch formal contract discussions

-Nine UK companies signalling intent to partner or purchase

-Two new deals expected to activate in January (AI solutions for legal firms and BPO sales support)

-One European tech partnership secured

-Investor interest garnered, with follow-up discussions underway

“This builds on the success of last year’s mission, which saw Jamaican firm Shift Left secure multi-million-dollar UK contracts following its participation,” the high commission said.

It emphasised that the UKTP continues to help Jamaican firms leverage the UK-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), opening new routes into the UK market.

During the mission, companies participated in high-level networking events; visited leading UK tech hubs; demonstrated Jamaica’s digital innovation and technical capabilities to potential partners.

They also advanced discussions around forming a consortium of Jamaican tech and BPO companies to better meet UK market needs and achieve economies of scale.

President of JAMPRO, Shullette Cox, underscored the importance of Jamaica’s services economy, stating: “People don’t always associate Jamaica with technology, but as a services-driven economy, our tech sector has been growing quietly for years. JAMPRO is proud to partner with programmes like UKTP to position Jamaican companies in the UK market, and we’re pleased to see how open UK businesses are to our solutions.”

One of the participating firms, Advantum, a software company in Kingston described the mission as transformative.

“The UK trade mission was a fabulous experience,” said Tshai Morgan of Advantum. “We’ve driven port digitalisation across the Caribbean for 40 years, and now we have the opportunity to expand into the UK market. Between the training and the business opportunities, it has been outstanding.”

The focus on digital services is also part of the UK’s broader commitment to helping Jamaica diversify its economy and build resilience against climate-related shocks like Hurricane Melissa.

While sectors such as tourism and agriculture remain vital, the digital economy offers income streams that can recover quickly, operate remotely, and keep generating revenues even after physical infrastructure is disrupted.