Who better to pose the questions — Where should our nation be focused and what is exciting about Jamaica right now — than Radhe Vaswani, named to Campaign Asia’s annual 40 Under 40 list and Hong Kong Business Management 2018 Winner?

It makes me so proud to see the next generation of Jamaicans thriving and doing great things in and around the world. Sometimes, we forget how powerful Jamaica is as a brand. Respectfully, we have US$13 billion in brand equity in combination with Jamaican companies across the globe, and an untapped US$33-US$35 billion of potential growth. But the pace of change in Jamaica compared to other developing countries is too laid-back and slow. With information and technology solutions available at our fingertips, we should be embracing the change with open arms.

Internationally, Brand Jamaica is seen positively for our strong culture, natural beauty (land and people) and rich resources. Given that we are a small nation, our reputation precedes us. Jamaicans like to say that “we likkle but we tallawah, ” meaning we are a small country but we make a big impact.

And this is true in so many areas. Smart and talented Jamaicans can be found all around the world making a huge impact in a variety of professional fields, including fashion, music, technology, sports, banking, medicine, education, service and hospitality.

Look at the incredible achievements to be proud of, just this year alone: Shaggy, in collaboration with Sting, raises J$100m for the Bustamante Hospital; Usain Bolt plays professional football for Central Coast Mariners; Tami Williams models for Chanel; Ralph Lauren unveils a Jamaica-inspired campaign for the 50th anniversary of the brand. Drake signs Popcaan to OVO; Dalton Harris becomes an X Factor finalist and winner; Jay-Z and Beyoncé ride through the streets of Trench Town. Recently, the United Nations added reggae music to its list of international cultural treasures worthy of protection and promotion. Recognised by the United Nations Balram Vaswani opens Kaya, the first legal medical marijuana herb house in Jamaica; Reggae Girlz qualify for the World Cup, and Buju Banton is finally free.

Our food, too, is well known and savoured around the world. The popularity of restaurants like Miss Lily’s in Dubai and New York, Rummin Tings in Hong Kong, Lime House in Singapore, Jamrock in Japan, Chubby’s in Toronto, Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records, and Rudies in London is testament to this fact.

Not to mention the smart and talented Jamaicans in various industries, from models, musicians, doctors, nurses, teachers, nannies who have made, and continue to make, us proud to be Jamaican.

However, we must remember that we are only as strong as our weakest link. In my travels, I am proud to see how much the world has embraced Jamaica because of its infectious culture.

Yet when I’m back at home, I note with concern that Jamaica has started to transform and is becoming more commercialised, impacting our beautiful resources and losing some of our core essence, which hopefully we can stay true to. DJ Khaled said it best “It’s a yaad man ting!”

With all this good, Jamaica, let us not forget our roots and protect Brand Jamaica. We have been blessed with a beautiful culture, vibes that transcend other cultures, and land that is rich in resources. But the world is benefiting from the fruits of our land and people instead of us Jamaicans. We need to implement measures that protect our people and our land, first and foremost.

Most importantly, crime and violence in Jamaica has to be given high priority. Wherever I go, in every corner of the world the first thing that people ask me about Jamaica is: “Isn’t it dangerous?” We are known as one of the most dangerous countries in the world. It is essential that as Jamaicans, for the future of our country, we all take this problem seriously and combine efforts, both locally and internationally, to find solutions together to make Jamaica a safer place to live and work.

The pace of change in Jamaica, compared to other developing countries, is a little too laid-back. Don’t get me wrong: this is also one of our greatest strengths, but it’s finding the right balance.

The rest of the world is at a turning point, already moving into the fourth industrial revolution, which is the current and developing environment in which disruptive technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way we will live and work.

With information and technology solutions at our disposal, and strong relations with other developed countries, we should be working together to get the basics right and embrace this revolution to help improve our infrastructure and safety.

With this global perception, and tourism being one of our most important revenue drivers, as well as the growth and future generation of Jamaicans, it is important for us to take this seriously.

Why should we do this?

Having the privilege to have lived all over the world (including Singapore), it has been an eye-opener for what good can look like. To think not so long ago, our independent Jamaica was rated a better prospect for economic development than Singapore!

Today, Singapore is ranked first worldwide by the World Bank for the ease of doing business, consecutively for seven years.

To think this could have been us. But there is still so much hope.

As the next generation, I strongly encourage the Jamaican change makers, conscious business leaders, social intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs, local communities, and anyone who is proud to be Jamaican, to join hands in helping Jamaicans to make a difference in or creating a positive impact both in Jamaica and abroad. I invite them to take matters into their own hands and help make a difference by creating “do good” platforms to connect, help, inspire and empower each other.

I feel confident in Jamaicans and the ability to continue to do good and shine. As Butch Stewart beautifully said, Here’s to #AnotherOne.