DUBLIN, Ireland — On a crisp Monday evening in the Irish capital, Jamaica’s junior trade and investment minister Delano Seiveright took the stage at a high-profile industry reception to lay out the Caribbean nation’s compelling case for stronger commercial collaboration with Ireland, as part of a wider government-led trade and investment mission across Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Organized by Jamaica’s national investment promotion agency JAMPRO (Jamaica Promotions Corporation) under the oversight of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, the invitation-only event brought together a diverse cross-section of stakeholders: top Irish corporate executives, the Jamaican private sector delegation accompanying the mission, senior leaders from JAMPRO and the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA), members of the large Jamaican diaspora based in Ireland, and other key industry partners.
Opening his remarks, which wove together cultural common ground and targeted investment outreach, Seiveright framed the formal deepening of engagement between the two nations as long overdue. As two English-speaking island nations deeply integrated into global supply chains and commercial networks, he argued, Jamaica and Ireland share a surprising number of overlapping strengths that create natural openings for expanded two-way trade, cross-border investment, and long-term commercial partnership.
Seiveright drew parallels between the two countries, pointing to shared traits including robust democratic governance, world-renowned cultural exports, large, globally connected diaspora networks, universal English proficiency, a proven history of economic resilience, and a widespread culture of entrepreneurship.
“Ireland has pulled off one of the modern era’s most remarkable economic transformations, emerging as a global success story for investment and innovation across technology, pharmaceuticals, aviation leasing, and food production and export,” Seiveright noted. “Today, Jamaica is pursuing its own ambitious national transformation, focused on growing high-potential sectors including logistics, tourism, digital services, advanced manufacturing, agro-processing, renewable energy, and large-scale infrastructure development.”
To illustrate the existing global brand recognition both nations enjoy, Seiveright name-checked iconic Irish household brands such as Guinness, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Ryanair and Kerry Group, alongside Jamaica’s own globally recognized portfolio of brands including Red Stripe beer, Appleton Estate rum, GraceKennedy, Sandals Resorts and Wisynco. He highlighted Digicel, the pan-Caribbean telecommunications giant founded by Irish entrepreneur Denis O’Brien, as a tangible, already successful example of deep Irish investment in Jamaica that has delivered widespread benefits across the island and the broader Caribbean region.
During the address, Seiveright walked attendees through Jamaica’s steadily improving macroeconomic fundamentals and evolving investment landscape, noting the country now boasts historic lows in unemployment, a significantly reduced debt-to-GDP ratio, fast-expanding logistics infrastructure, and growing confidence from international institutional investors. He detailed a wide pipeline of major ongoing and completed investments across Jamaica, led by both international and local players spanning key growth sectors from tourism to energy, logistics, mining, infrastructure, agro-processing and real estate.
Major projects highlighted include the ongoing expansion of US-based Excelerate Energy’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) and energy operations in Jamaica; large-scale tourism expansion by Spain’s Palladium Hotel Group and Princess Hotels; the Moon Palace resort development in St James led by Mexico’s Palace Resorts; the luxury Pinnacle residential development in Montego Bay; large-scale agro-processing and sugar modernization projects with regional and international partners in Clarendon; and growing operations by US-Swiss building materials firm Amrize, which now runs Jamaica Aggregates on the island. Seiveright also underscored the continued expansion and investment by leading homegrown Jamaican corporations including Sandals Resorts International, GraceKennedy, Wisynco and Seprod, alongside rapid growth in the country’s logistics and digital services sectors.
Beyond core economic metrics, Seiveright updated attendees on Jamaica’s progress in two key areas that impact long-term investment attractiveness: post-disaster recovery and public safety. He outlined the country’s rapid recovery and reconstruction work in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, highlighting the role of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) and the government’s FAST (Facilitated Acceleration of Strategic Transformation) Jamaica initiative in speeding up infrastructure delivery and boosting national climate resilience. He also noted that Jamaica has achieved a dramatic reduction in violent crime, with the national murder rate falling by more than 40% in 2025, a major milestone for improving quality of life and business operating conditions.
Seiveright paid tribute to the leadership of Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and industry, investment and commerce minister Senator Aubyn Hill for driving the country’s ongoing economic reform and international business development agenda. The trade and investment mission will continue through the week, with additional scheduled meetings with Irish and UK cabinet ministers, C-suite business leaders, institutional investors, trade stakeholders and diaspora representatives across both countries, as Jamaica ramps up efforts to boost export growth, attract new foreign direct investment, and deepen its network of international commercial partnerships.
Joining Seiveright at the Dublin reception were JAMPRO President Shullette Cox, JSEZA representatives, members of the Jamaican business delegation, and Jamaica’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Ireland, Alexander Williams.