Since 2003, the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) has worked with Jamaicans in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the Canadian Diaspora, with the full support of successive Jamaican Governments, to engage in frank discussions, at venues in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Florida, New York, and Toronto, in an economic forum, Outlook for the Future.
Since then, other fora have emerged to respond to the political and social needs of Jamaican and Caribbean peoples in the Diaspora, including:
- Think Tank Sessions
- Caribbean Question Time
- Immigration Seminars
- The UK Diaspora Dialogue
All of these fora provided avenues for members of the Jamaican Diaspora to dialogue with representatives of the Government of Jamaica; and receive first hand information about development strategies impacting Jamaica and the region.
Issues Addressed Over the Years
Over the years, some of the issues addressed have included:
- Crime and its Effects on Jamaica
- The Jamaica Economy: Outlook for the Future
- Critical Analysis of the Jamaican Economy
- Doing Business in Jamaica
- Maintaining an Investor-friendly Environment in Jamaica and Crime Security
- The Economic Imperatives for Jamaica 2009
- A New Economic Future for Jamaica
2013 Outlook for the Future addressed:
- Jamaica’s relationship with the International Monetary Fund
- Economic strategies to move Jamaica forward
- Plans to grow the productive sector
- Infrastructure developments, such as the Logistics Hub in Kingston Harbor
- The future of housing developments
- Education initiatives
- The Health Sector
- Initiatives to combat crime and the current Anti-Lottery Scam campaign
- Social initiatives to provide a safety net for the poor