Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Hon. Andrew Holness will pay an official visit to the South Florida community this weekend where he will be the special guest at several events.
This marks his first official overseas visit to the USA since his recent appointment on October 19th as Jamaica’s Ninth Prime Minister and the youngest to take the seat of the nation’s highest political office at age 39 years.
The Prime Minister will make appearances at several private and public events this Saturday, December 3rd, beginning with a “Community Forum” at 3:00 p.m. to be held at Christway Baptist Church at 3800 South Douglas Road in Miramar. The Forum will be hosted by Broward County Commissioner Dale V.C. Holness. The Prime Minister is expected to address nationals and friends of the Diaspora on the areas they can participate in Jamaica’s economic development.
Commissioner Dale V.C. Holness has been at the forefront of pushing the agenda to increase trade and cultural exchange between The Americas and South Florida. The United States is Jamaica’s main trading partner. In addition, Jamaica was South Florida’s 31st largest trading partner in 2010 with over $637.67 million in total trade. Florida’s top exports to Jamaica include electric supplies, computers, motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts, and construction machinery. Florida’s top imports from Jamaica include textiles, ethyl alcohol, fruits, beer, water and seafood.
The Forum will be followed by a RSVP only fundraiser to be held in Davie Florida, starting at 6:00 p.m. where the Prime Minister will be the special guest.
Prior to his appointment, the Prime Minister had made several visits to South Florida in his capacity as Minister of Education where he addressed several forums on the nation’s educational development.