Jamaica’s newly appointed Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Major General (Ret’d) Antony Anderson, is wasting no time outlining his priorities as he steps into one of the country’s most critical diplomatic roles. In an interview with Caribbean National Weekly, Anderson spoke about his goals in Washington, the importance of the Jamaican diaspora, and Jamaica’s role in hemispheric affairs through the Organization of American States (OAS).
Advancing Jamaica’s interests in Washington
Ambassador Anderson, who recently assumed office, says his mission is broad but focused—chiefly on strengthening Jamaica’s bilateral relationship with the United States, promoting trade and investment, and supporting the Jamaican community abroad.
“The main part of it is to further Jamaica’s interest in the U.S.,” he said. “I represent Jamaica in the bilateral relationship with the U.S. government. Also, I support the diaspora and what they do… We also provide consular services for persons seeking passports, citizenship, visas, and so on.”
However, his ambitions stretch beyond traditional diplomacy. “I’m also looking at trade and investment—seeing how we can attract some more investment and create good trade deals with the United States,” he explained. “Hopefully, we’ll get some of our own diaspora members to invest in Jamaica even more than they already do.”
Haiti and regional leadership at the OAS
In June, Anderson delivered Jamaica’s national statement at the 55th General Assembly of the OAS. One of his top priorities as Permanent Representative, he says, is the ongoing crisis in Haiti—a matter of national, regional, and hemispheric importance.
“The OAS has many things that it’s working on at the moment,” Anderson noted. “But one of particular concern to the hemisphere is the situation in Haiti… from a Jamaican perspective, because we have been in Haiti, we’ve had persons over there, for some time now, but also from a CARICOM perspective.”
He emphasized that Jamaica’s leadership within the OAS is aligned with Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s current chairmanship of CARICOM, where Haiti is also high on the agenda.
Connecting with the diaspora
With over a million Jamaicans living in the U.S., Ambassador Anderson also sees diaspora engagement as a key part of his mandate. He says he intends to be hands-on in his approach.
“By going where they are, by meeting with different groups in the diaspora, by attending events that they have, getting them back in touch with Jamaica and everything that Jamaica has to offer,” he said.
As Jamaica’s top envoy in Washington, Anderson’s early signals suggest a proactive and multifaceted approach—one that embraces economic diplomacy, regional cooperation, and deeper bonds with Jamaicans abroad.
