KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is seeking to expand engagement with members of the diaspora in Africa and Latin America as it seeks to tap into non-traditional areas where there are communities of Jamaicans.
Alando TerrelongeState Minister in the Ministry, with responsibility for Diaspora Relations, Alando Terrelonge, made the disclosure while speaking on a radio program on Wednesday.
Reiterating the value of this community, Terrelonge said the Ministry will be actively seeking to engage the Jamaican diaspora members who are living outside of the traditional areas in the United States , Canada, and the United Kingdom.
“It is bridging the gap, expanding the [dialogue] by recognizing that there is a diaspora in Africa. We need to engage them more. That is the plan. [We also have] a diaspora even in Latin America,” he pointed out.
“It is reaching out to them to let them know that they have a voice and that the Government wants to hear from them. They have a breadth of technical expertise that we can benefit from,” he added.
Terrelonge said the Government of Jamaica remains committed to promoting dialogue with the Jamaican diaspora to strengthen these relationships and to give assistance where intervention is needed.
“Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, we remain committed to engaging our diaspora. We are here to serve you, to make you feel [that] you are part of Jamaica and to [facilitate mutual] benefit from our ideas, skills, expertise, and exchange of knowledge,” he said.
