Above: the Montego Bay Convention Centre

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller opened the Jamaican Investment Forum in Montego Bay Thursday, a conference organized by the Inter-American Development Bank.

More than 400 participants attended the forum’s first day, exploring investment-ready projects and opportunities offered by Jamaica’s business climate.

“The forum is an excellent opportunity for Jamaica to showcase its potential to international investors,” said IDB Vice-President for the Private Sector, Steven J Puig. “We are excited to participate in the event and look forward to showcasing the financing options we have for Jamaican-based projects as well as making contacts with businessmen interested in the Caribbean’s largest English-speaking country.”

The conference focused in particular on the growing ICT sector in Jamaica, which got a significant boost in December with the announcement that Convergys would soon open a call centre in the country potentially employing 1,000 Jamaicans when fully staffed.

The event is also being hosted in partnership with the Compete Caribbean programme.