Remarks by the Minister of Culture, Gender,
Entertainment and Sport
the Honourable Olivia Grange, OJ, CD, MP
at Jamaica Diaspora Conference
Montego Bay Convention Centre
17 June 2026

Watch Minister's Address here

Salutations

I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person today as I’m off to Ghana to represent the Prime Minister at the High-Level Consultative Conference on the Next Steps to the Landmark United Nations Resolution on the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans. I hope to engage especially with members of the Diaspora who will come back home for Jamaica Festival, the Grand Gala, the return of CPL cricket, as well as Reggae Sumfest, Dream Weekend, Heritage Week and all the other activities that we will host throughout the year.

Although hurricane Melissa dealt us a heavy blow, many of our festivals and events will continue as we pull ourselves up from this most devastating of disasters and build better and stronger.

I want to share with you a vision for the future of Jamaica’s culture, entertainment and the creative economy and their role in building and sustaining a stronger and a better Jamaica.

Picture a young woman from Flanker who can sing like no one you've ever heard having access to world-class training, professional mentorship, legal protection for her compositions, health and life insurance, and a pathway to global markets — all without leaving Jamaica.

Picture also a young animator from Kingston whose visual language is rooted in Jamaican cultural symbols earning a living from global streaming platforms, and protected by Intellectual Property systems that ensure his work is credited and he’s compensated wherever it appears.

Picture a craft maker from Burnt Savannah — whose grandmother taught her to weave in patterns handed down across generations. She has a global market for her work, a digital storefront, access to credit and financing, and a registered trademark for her cultural brand.

These are not dreams. They are part of the policy framework that we are building right now as we take culture and the creative industries to the next level.

I want to emphasise that some of the mechanisms to make this vision a reality are already in place, with others coming on stream shortly.

Just before the hurricane hit last October, I was proud to table in the House of Representatives, the Green Paper for the National Policy for Culture, Entertainment and the Creative Economy. It sets out proposals to put culture, entertainment, our creatives, and the creative economy at the centre of Jamaica's development agenda.

These industries have served Jamaica well. The 2025 Bluedot CCI Survey Report said Jamaica's cultural and creative industries contributed an estimated J$107 billion annually to our national economy — 5.1 per cent of GDP.

But these industries will serve us even better as we take our development plan to the next level.

Already we are known as the little country whose cultural footprint is, 'highly disproportionate to its size, population and economic ranking.'

And our creative people, including our sportsmen and women, have been able to create this reputation despite the odds.

So how do we go to the next level?

A major part of our response is the National Policy for Culture, Entertainment and the Creative Economy. The proposals in the green paper which are now before the joint select committee of Parliament, seek to empower communities, preserve our rich heritage, deepen respect for cultural diversity and cultural expressions, embrace innovation, with a focus on human development, sustainability and resilience.

The Policy proposes three transformative pillars. The first of these is the Institute for Cultural Practitioners, Innovators, Entertainers and Creatives. This centre of innovation and excellence will offer flexible, cutting-edge education and professional development across the full spectrum of creative disciplines. Through the Institute we will equip our creatives with technical expertise and business acumen. We will offer micro-credentialing so that practitioners can upskill without interrupting their careers.

This is an important initiative which members of the Diaspora can support through your expertise, your mentorship, and your networks. We welcome your engagement as lecturers as well as curriculum advisors, and industry partners.

The second pillar is the establishment of the Jamaica Entertainment and Cultural Development Foundation. The Entertainment, Culture and Creative Economy Act will establish the Foundation — a dedicated funding mechanism to provide sustainable financial support for creative projects, cultural preservation, and institutional development across the sector.

This will address the J$5 billion financing gap identified in the 2025 CCI Survey — the gap that prevents 88 per cent of our creative practitioners from accessing the capital they need to scale their work and grow the creative economy at the speed that our talent creates.

The third pillar is the Entertainment, Culture and Creative Economy Act itself. The proposed law is intended to do what no previous legislation has achieved: formalise Jamaica's creative industries, measure and monitor their contribution, safeguard the rights and interests of creative practitioners, streamline government engagement with the sector, foster private-sector collaboration, and ensure our policies remain adaptive to technological, economic, and social change. It will strengthen protections for intellectual property. It will also create the legal framework to sustain and expand the Jamaica Entertainers and Creatives Insurance Plan, which is similar to the successful Jamaica Athletes Insurance Plan, which we have introduced. The law will send a clear signal to the world: Jamaica is open, organised, and serious about its creative economy.

Today, I call on the Diaspora to build stronger to the next level with us, by investing in the Jamaica Entertainment and Cultural Development Foundation. My vision is that the Foundation will accept Diaspora investment through structured vehicles — cultural bonds, impact investment instruments, and co-financing arrangements. We are designing these instruments specifically to be accessible and attractive to overseas Jamaicans.

I also invite you to share your expertise with the next generation of creatives who will come to the Institute. Your experience, guidance and advice will help to grow the creative economy and improve lives.

So these are exciting times, my brothers and sisters. We are moving to the next level in culture, entertainment and the creative industries.

While I ask for your support and partnership, I also ask you to please accept my personal thanks and the gratitude of the entire Jamaica for your coming to our assistance in the aftermath of the devastating hurricane Melissa. You not only gave of your resources, but you gave of yourselves as we all worked to recover and continue to rebuild from the hurricane — aided by the peoples of the world. Special thanks for your support, in so many ways, of the I Love Jamaica series of concerts in major global cities which raised funds to assist with the recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Thank you for your unending dedication to Jamaica and your efforts to help build our homeland better and stronger.

I wish I could have been with you in person in Montego Bay today for this important discussion. I look forward to outcomes of this conference and to your engagement as we strengthen the creative economy, improve quality of life, and build prosperity for all.

Safe travel. And I look forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you.