Texas Caribbean Chamber and JAMPRO outline investment paths for small firms in Jamaica

Jamaica’s investment promotion agency, JAMPRO, joined the Texas Caribbean Chamber of Commerce, Trade and Industry for a recorded webinar aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises looking to trade with or invest in Jamaica. Co-hosted by chamber founding president Marilyn Douglas Jones, the session brought together Jamaican diplomats, honorary consuls, and JAMPRO officials to outline current opportunities across several growth sectors.

Consul General Roderick Oliver Mair, who has led Jamaica’s Miami mission since 2018 with responsibility for Florida, twelve other Southern US states, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands, opened alongside Kalfani Omar Fullerton, honorary consul of Jamaica in Houston and managing attorney at Fullerton Law Firm. JAMPRO managers Conrad Robinson and Nicholas Sutherland presented sector priorities and answered questions submitted through the webinar chat.

Robinson said JAMPRO’s mandate is to drive economic development through exports, investment, and local linkages, with priority focus on agribusiness, logistics, global digital services, and tourism. Secondary sectors include film, non-food manufacturing, mining, and aggregates. He highlighted Jamaica’s lack of foreign exchange controls, unrestricted foreign ownership, profit repatriation rights, BB- credit ratings from Fitch and S&P, and the ability for non-nationals to own land.

Investor incentives outlined included employment tax credits, asset tax relief, Product Input Relief on raw materials, and special economic zone benefits that can reduce the effective corporate tax rate to as low as 7.5%. Robinson pointed to strong air and sea links, including direct Montego Bay flights from Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston, roughly 3.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units handled annually, and major operators such as Amazon, DHL, CMA CGM, and FedEx active in Jamaica.

Montego Bay was cited as the Caribbean’s top business process outsourcing city in 2024 by Nearshore Americas. Tourism investment targets included boutique, wellness, and hospital hotels, with greenfield opportunities highlighted in St. Thomas and Portland. The Jamaica Film Commission, established in 1984, was promoted alongside recent productions including Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love (2024) and the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021).

Fullerton told attendees that “Jamaica is open for business” and remains a strong place to invest and live despite damage from Hurricane Melissa. Jones urged participants to move beyond listening and take action: “The time to do business with Jamaica is now.”

In a question-and-answer segment, officials said no government grants are currently available for private land purchases, though public agricultural lands may be leased at competitive rates. Jamaica adopted the ASYCUDA global port system roughly twelve years ago. Cannabis ventures require 51% ownership by a Jamaican citizen, the only sector with that restriction. A national Data Protection Act took effect about two and a half years ago to support the country’s large outsourcing sector. Citizenship by descent can be pursued through PICA using birth records and a one-page application. The Development Bank of Jamaica was noted as a source of business financing for eligible applicants.