Seiveright urges diaspora to amplify Jamaica’s crime reduction and investment gains

Delano Seiveright, Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, has asked members of the Jamaican diaspora to help tell a story he considers among the most important public safety turnarounds in the country’s recent history. Speaking at the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, he linked stronger security to higher investor confidence, faster economic growth, and a shift in how Jamaica is viewed abroad.

Seiveright said crime has long ranked among Jamaica’s toughest problems and one of the main obstacles to investment and development. He argued that measurable, sustained gains over the past three years now warrant wider recognition outside the island.

He attributed that progress to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. Horace Chang, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and other security bodies. Their work under Plan Secure Jamaica, backed by roughly J$90 billion in national security spending, has kept public safety and institutional reform at the centre of policy, he said.

Those gains, Seiveright added, are already feeding a more competitive business climate. He placed Jamaica’s falling crime rates alongside broader economic strength. Net International Reserves stand at about US$6.5 billion, equal to roughly 34 weeks of import cover—nearly three times the 12-week international benchmark. He also cited relative exchange rate stability, careful fiscal policy, and continued trust from global financial institutions and investors.

The Minister said Jamaica’s economic record and institutional standing helped secure about US$6.7 billion in financing from international partners after Hurricane Melissa. That support, he said, allowed a swift move from recovery work to rebuilding and long-term resilience planning. He credited years of disciplined economic management under Prime Minister Holness and the wider economic team, including Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Senator Aubyn Hill.

Even amid rising global uncertainty, Seiveright said investors are still putting large sums into Jamaica. He listed several headline deals and projects: the US$1.055 billion purchase of New Fortress Energy’s Jamaican LNG assets by US-based Excelerate Energy; the acquisition of Jamaica Aggregates by NYSE-listed Amrize; major tourism builds involving Moon Palace, Princess Resorts, Grand Palladium, UNICO, Hard Rock, and Harmony Cove; and further growth by Sandals Resorts International.

He also pointed to significant spending by GraceKennedy, Wisynco, and Seprod, the opening of PriceSmart’s new Montego Bay store, and expansion in the global services sector, which now employs around 50,000 people. Investment is picking up across tourism, manufacturing, logistics, energy, agriculture, technology, housing, commercial real estate, and infrastructure.

Seiveright said one of Jamaica’s remaining hurdles is closing the gap between international perception and on-the-ground reality. Diaspora members, he stressed, can play a leading part in that effort. Improved security, solid economic fundamentals, and large infrastructure projects are opening doors in tourism, real estate, agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, and technology, he said.

He also praised Senator Aubyn Hill, JAMPRO President Shullette Cox, Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority CEO Kelli-Dawn Hamilton, and many public and private partners for helping to market Jamaica as a top location for investment and business growth. Seiveright closed by urging diaspora members to weigh opportunities in real estate, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, technology, and other productive areas.