Jamaicans in diaspora urged to invest in local housing, real estate

WESTERN BUREAU:

Renowned Montego Bay-based attorney-at-law Clayton Morgan is calling for Jamaicans living overseas to seize the moment and invest in local real estate and housing based on the opportunities for financial returns and creating generational legacies.

Morgan, a long-standing member of the Opposition People’s National Party, made the call while addressing a special homecoming reception at Sandals Royal Caribbean for South Florida Jamaicans who had returned to the island for the 26th Back to Jamaica Homecoming Tour, which spanned September 11–15.

“I want to invite you to come back home, and I’m not only inviting you to come back home. Jamaica is an excellent place to invest,” said Morgan.

Morgan went on to urge the diaspora to look beyond nostalgia and leisure and to actively engage with available investment platforms. He cited the National Housing Trust (NHT) as a significantly underutilised channel for Jamaicans abroad.

“How many of you know that every one of you here tonight is eligible to contribute a small pittance each month as an independent person? You don’t have to work. You have self-employed persons. You can stay right there in Miami, New York, or wherever you are, and contribute to the National Housing Trust,” said Morgan.

“In less than a year, you can become eligible to borrow millions of dollars from the NHT to buy a piece of land or to build a house. Up to three of you can borrow in excess of $20 million towards the purchase of land, to build a house, or to renovate a house. It’s all there. Just check the website.”

Morgan further emphasised that with billions of dollars residing in the NHT, diaspora participation could simultaneously enhance individual ownership and fuel national economic growth.

“Don’t just visit. Invest. Own a piece of the rock. Create a legacy for your children and grandchildren,” he urged.

Beyond economic prospects, Morgan spotlighted Jamaica’s evolution as a resilient democracy, contrasting today’s political maturity with the turbulence of the past.

PEACEFUL ELECTION

“Jamaica, in my view, is, perhaps, one of the greatest democracies on the face of this Earth,” he said. “Why do I say that? Less than two weeks ago, Jamaica went through a general election process. It was one of the most peaceful elections in the history of Jamaica.”

Morgan also reflected on the darker days of electoral violence when election seasons were marked by fear and bloodshed.

“This was not always the case because all of us here tonight are old enough to remember the times when the word ‘election’ was announced, the public and private morgues in the country made a lot of money. This time, thank God, on the night of the election, if you were in Sam Sharpe Square, you could hear a pin drop,” he said.

“The only noise you would hear is when the results were being announced, and some of us were crying, and some of us were celebrating. Suffice it to say, ladies and gentlemen, that we have come a long way,” he added.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com

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