In a bid to court new investment, Jamaica’s government says it will be appointing a handful of “investment ambassadors.”

The announcement was made this week by new Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who said the envoys would be responsible for stimulating economic opportunities for Jamaica overseas.

“We will be expanding the number of persons, who will be assisting in exploring new markets overseas and we will do this by appointing several investment ambassadors. In fact, by next week Wednesday, we will appoint two,” Holness said.

One of the ambassadors will have responsibility for India and the Middle East, and the other will focus on Europe.

“They will assist in creating new markets and opportunities for Jamaica,” Holness said.

The concept is not entirely new in the region, having been used most notably in Antigua, which has named, among others, Hollywood star Robert De Niro, an economic envoy.