A two-member team from the Brazil-based, Jamaica-Brazil Chamber of Commerce (JBCC) arrived in Jamaica on August 7, and leaves on August 16.
The fact-finding investment mission, comprising of Mr. Marcel Maiettini, President of the JBCC and Mr. Donovan McFarlane, Senior Vice-President (and former President) will meet with the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Tourism, and Transport and Mining, the Director General of the Coffee Industry Board, the President of the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), the Director-General of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, the Executive Chairman of the Environmental Health Foundation and the Senior Director, Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, among other officials, during their 10-day stay in the island.
It is anticipated that the visit of the Brazilian delegation will help to strengthen commercial linkages between the private sectors in Jamaica and Brazil and afford renewed opportunities for business development in both countries.
The JBCC conceptualised in 2008, was officially launched in November 2012, as one of the early achievements of H.E. Alison Stone Roofe, Jamaica’s first resident Ambassador to Brazil. The Chamber works closely with the Embassy in identifying and promoting trade opportunities between Jamaica and Brazil.
Brazil has been a leading beneficiary of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). In fact the 2015 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report lists Brazil among the top five (5) FDI-attracting economies in the Latin American and Caribbean region, with inflows of approximately US$62 billion in 2014. Since that time, however, there has been a decline in the scale of investment due to various factors including developments at the national and international levels.
