KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s four-day Exposition got underway with Prime Minister Andrew Holness saying that the country must look to the export market in order to become a rich country.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness addressing the opening of Expo JamaicaExpo Jamaica 2023 is expected to attract over 18,000 visitors and Holness described the event as the “largest the expo has ever seen” with over 200 exhibitors showcasing Jamaican products to both international and local buyers.
Expo Jamaica 2023 co-Chairperson, Aswad Morgan, said there are more buyers representing a broader mix of countries.
In former years, the bulk of our buyers came from the UK and the US. This year, we’re seeing buyers from Oman, Yugoslavia and Sweden, among others,” Morgan added.
Holness told the ceremony that Jamaica would need to export in order to become a “rich nation” .
The Expo, which is being hosted by the Jamaica Manufacturers’ and Exporters Association Limited, had been suspended over the last three years, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and Holness said that over the years he had made it a duty to attend the event.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the gems that you discover are manufactured in Jamaica,” Holness said, adding “and that is the essence of the expo, it is to expose the productive capacity, the innovation, the ingenuity, [and] the creativity of Jamaican manufacturing.
“We are also happy that we are seeing significant interest from our international counterparts, in all areas. In distribution, retailers, hotel purchasers, potential partners in various manufacturing endeavors,” he said.
He said “several serious” international investors are visiting the Expo, some of whom have already struck business deals, and are also on the island to discover other investment opportunities.
“The expo is a multi-sectoral endeavor, showcasing Jamaica’s manufacturing capabilities across various areas, whether we have primary producers, we have promising startup businesses, whether it is faction, whether it is construction, whether it is in food, we have broad-based manufacturing industry here in Jamaica,” Holness said, adding “I’m certain that as a result of this expo and the exposure that Jamaica will get, our manufacturing will increase even greater”.
He said the “sound policies of this administration will ensure that Jamaica recovers quickly, that the consumption power that is lost by virtue of inflation is recovered.
“That the incomes lost by virtue of any fall-out in employment that occurred as a result of the pandemic, that those jobs are recovered… It is good economic management that will ensure that the Jamaican people really feel and experience prosperity,” Holness added.
