“Jamaica is thriving – don’t miss the boat”.

‘Do Business in Jamaica ‘ event encourages young entrepreneurs to explore Jamaica as a viable and lucrative business destination.

JN Circle UK hosted a free event for young entrepreneurs in London recently. Powered by JN Money, the aim of the event was to empower and encourage entrepreneurs to look beyond the UK as a viable place of building a business, and consider other options, such as Jamaica.

With several industries in Jamaica showing significant growth, including tourism, technology, media, music, film and the creative industries – the island is attracting a lot of interest from international investors. With an efficient business climate and a sophisticated infrastructure, it was ranked 6th globally by the World Bank for Doing Business Report 2019 from the World Bank Group.

Guest speakers at the JN Circle UK event included Mr. Laurence Jones, European Head at the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro) in London; Mr. Ben Ryan, Founder and Managing Director of City Splash Festival and Emmanuel Washington (aka Manny) of Manny Swarv Events.

Progress

‘Regional Head of the Jampro Office in Europe, based at the Jamaican High Commission’, Mr. Laurence Jones shared that Jamaica has seen six consecutive years of pre-pandemic growth, over US$318.7 million in foreign direct investment inflows (BOJ 2022) and has an open and transparent investment regime. Jamaica is also currently ranked #4 in Latin America and the Caribbean for its capacity to successfully undertake Public Private Partnerships (PPP) by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

In particular, Mr. Jones highlighted that certain industries such as the Creative economy, receive strong Government support. Investors have access to incentives and benefits such as Customs Duty Relief, beneficial International Trade Agreements and a UK Co-Production Treaty.

In terms of support, Mr. Jones encouraged persons to take advantage of the free services offered by Jampro in the UK – which include Business Development support, Business matching and meetings, providing specialised market information and research, Business Approval facilitation and much more. “Jamaica is thriving – don’t miss the boat”, he shared, urging persons that now is the time to take action.

Culture and Impact

The audience also heard from two successful UK entrepreneurs who have already expanded their business interests to Jamaica – Mr. Ben Ryan and Mr. Emmanuel Washington (aka Manny Swarv).

As Managing Director and Founder of the hugely successful City Splash Festival in Brixton, South London, Ben Ryan explained how critical Jamaica had become for him as a businessman in the music industry. Mr. Ryan shared that Jamaica’s culture and impact extends far beyond the Caribbean and with that, brings many opportunities for collaboration. City Splash is the largest one-day, independent Black music festival in the UK – attracting over 30,000 persons.

Manny Swarv, a young entrepreneur, recently expanded his luxury event brand – Manny Swarv Events – to Jamaica, as well as Dubai and Bermuda. Manny explained that Jamaica is one of the best destinations in the world for events as the culture and vibes are unmatched. He shared that his brand was so well received by patrons as they appreciate and understand his event concept. Manny also shared that he would encourage young people in the UK to do their research, and take the step in setting up business in thriving markets such as Jamaica.

JN Support

JN Group Senior Manager and JN Circle Lead for the UK, Paula Dyke said “ JN is very clear on its purpose – we want to promote the Caribbean as a positive place to invest, live and visit. Young people should take full advantage of the current opportunities – doing business in Jamaica could be very lucrative”.

JN Circle UK Board Member Nathanael Watson agreed and said ” This particular event really showcased the potential in Jamaica. The island offers a diverse array of investment opportunities across multiple industries, truly opening doors for local communities and international investors”.

JN Circle was launched in Jamaica in 2019 and is presently led by the philanthropic arm of the JN Group, the JN Foundation.  Built on the concept of mutuality, the JN Foundation gives back to communities in Jamaica and across the Jamaican Diaspora by providing financial and technical support to sustain a variety of projects and programmes.

There are 16 JN Circle chapters in Jamaica, one in Canada and one in the UK.

For more information about the JN Circle UK, follow us on instagram @jncircle_uk or email us at jncircleuk@gmail.com