Minister of Industry & Commerce Aubyn Hill has been a tireless champion of Jamaican exports, stressing again and again that the country cannot rely on a small population of just 3 million people to grow its economy.

He again made this his theme at his address at the JMEA Expo Jamaica media launch held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston last Thursday (February 27).

Senator Hill urged Jamaican businesses to provide world class products and services that can compete and create demand.

A major accomplishment of his tenure in this important portfolio is his trips to export markets to drum up business for Jamaican businesses where he encourages company leaders to accompany him and get to attain a greater understanding of what it takes to export to these countries.

He cited a Forbes report which noted Guyana as having one of the fastest growing income per capita rates in the world. The minister has already conducted three export fact-finding trips to Guyana and sees it as an important trading partner for Jamaica.

You can’t expect to get very far just concentrating on Jamaica, which has an income per capita of around US$7,000.  Jamaican firms have to look outward.

Senator Hill is aptly positioned in this ministry having been an international banker and a business operator. He doesn’t approach his work from the prism of a politician but rather from experience of having to function in international markets with  a true understanding of business and finance. 

He is a banker and businesses need finance and banking guidance. 

So who better to helm this portfolio?

Below is Senator Hill’s full address: 

In 2024, Jamaica’s total exports reached approximately US$2.2 billion, marking a 7.5 per cent increase over 2023. The highest export figure in decades! 

Non-traditional exports accounted for 58 per cent of this figure, reflecting diversification beyond bauxite and alumina. 

The manufacturing sector contributed approximately 9.3 per cent of GDP, creating over 85,000 direct jobs and driving increased production in key industries such as food processing, chemicals, and construction materials. 

When our businesses export, our economy grows, and every Jamaican family stands to benefit. 

Services are just as vital to Jamaica’s export future. Our global digital services (GDS) sector alone is valued at approximately US$1 billion, providing high-quality services in areas like IT outsourcing, software development, and digital marketing. 

The tourism services sector, another powerful export earner, continues to drive the national revenue by offering world-class hospitality, wellness tourism, and creative experiences that attract millions globally. 

Every product we ship, every service we deliver to the global market brings us closer to economic independence. 

Our exporters are proving this every day – entering new markets in Ghana, Oman, Sweden, and beyond. Jamaica is earning a reputation as excellent businesspeople, ingenious innovators, and world-class service providers. 

THIS IS THE IDENTITY WE MUST EMBRACE: We are an attractive investment destination, globally competitive, we are developing as a leading logistics hub, an important player in global services, a thriving and growing financial services centre, and a producer of high-quality products. We are more than competing – we are positioning ourselves to lead. 

That drive for excellence is what Expo Jamaica 2025 embodies – the largest trade and exhibition show in the English-speaking Caribbean. 

•  Under the theme, “Global Partnerships, Local Impact; Advancing Jamaica’s Reach,” 245 exhibitors will showcase over 5,000 world-class products to 553 buyers from 22 countries. 
• This is Jamaica’s global business stage. Here, partnerships will be forged, contracts signed, and new markets opened. When buyers come to Expo Jamaica, they want to see authentic Jamaican- made products and they are looking for an opportunity to invest. 

The Buyers’ Programme, spearheaded by JAMPRO, one of the agencies of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, is turning connections into contracts. 

With 271 international and 282 local buyers, we are linking Jamaican businesses directly to global markets. 

We are also preparing our Jamaican MSMEs for export-readiness. JAMPRO also launched Cohort VI of EXPORTMax in July 2024, 57 companies – including 36 women-led businesses are receiving tailored support to sharpen export competitiveness, thanks to a strategic partnership with the JBDC, JMEA, DBJ, BSJ, HEART/NSTA Trust, EXIM Bank, and others. 

JAMPRO’s Exporter Facilitation Department, has engaged over 250 inactive exporters through information sessions in the past 18 months. 

The Andrew Holness Administration is making exporting a priority and backing that vision with action. Yesterday, the Trade Board Jamaica, one of the agencies of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, launched the EXPORTAcademy, a transformative arm of EXPORTJamaica. 

This academy is free and open to the public so that every Jamaican entrepreneur – regardless of size or location – has access to world-class training, export readiness resources, and vital market intelligence. 

The EXPORTAcademy works hand-in-hand with the EXPORTJamaica, which provides vital tools for global market access, compliance standards, and logistics solutions.

Together, we are ensuring that these initiatives are simplifying the export process, making it easier for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to participate in global trade. 

We are aligning these efforts with vital legislative tools like the Security Interests in Personal Property Act (SIPPA), which empowers businesses to leverage movable assets for financing.

Let me be absolutely clear: Exporting is one of the surest ways for Jamaica to become rich. 

IT IS OUR NATIONAL IMPERATIVE. Domestic consumption alone will not cut it. We must produce more, export more, and earn more from exports. That is how we create high-paying jobs, lift families out of poverty, and build an economy that works for every Jamaican. 

Everyone here tonight – every stakeholder, every member of the JMEA, every partner and sponsor – must commit to us collectively increasing our exports to solidify Jamaica’s presence in the global marketplace.

We have and will create the products and the services, because we have and are growing the talent.

WE JAMAICANS must invest and grow our economy. I invite all entrepreneurs, business-owners, all hardworking Jamaicans here today to join in this noble national effort to cement our POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE with robust and sustained ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE. 

EXPORTING NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES TO NEW MARKETS & NEW CUSTOMERS IS ONE OF THE SUREST WAYS TO ACHIEVE THAT ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE. I WISH THE JMEA’S EXPO JAMAICA 2025 EVERY SUCCESS.