Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, has informed that elements of the Mason Hall water project in St. Mary will commence in less than two months. “There are elements that are tied to the CDB (Caribbean Development Bank) funding but, certainly, some of the distribution network will commence in...

The Government has made provision for the maintenance of the island’s network of secondary roads beyond the Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) Programme. Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, gave the assurance while responding to questions during today’s (March 6) sitting of the Standing...

The Government has indicated that Jamaica is well on its way to not just achieving but exceeding its emission reduction target by 2030. Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, responding to questions at today’s (March 6) sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House, underscored that the sectors...

A total of $370 million has been spent, to date, on the establishment of the Falmouth Artisan Village in Trelawny. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, made the disclosure during the sitting of the Standing Finance Committee at Gordon House, on March 5. “The completion is expected to add another $199 million, and just to indicate that we'll have 36...

The Government will be embarking on a series of initiatives, including infrastructural upgrades, aimed at reducing the energy consumption of the National Water Commission (NWC). Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, who highlighted the significant impact of energy costs on the entity, indicated that one of the key initiatives...

Users of the May Pen to Williamsfield highway are welcoming the ease of travel from the opening of the thoroughfare. Constructed at a cost of $188 million, the 23-kilometre four-lane highway, which represents Part A of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP), has cut travel time from May Pen to Williamsfield to approximately 15 minutes and about 45 minutes...

If Jamaica is to not just survive but thrive, the issue of productivity in agriculture against climate change must be taken very seriously, says Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda. “It is why Jamaica is currently on track to invest some US$270 million in irrigation in the plains of...

A sum of $95 million has been earmarked for continued implementation of the Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (IWEco) project during the upcoming fiscal year. The provision is contained in the 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure, which was recently tabled in the House of Representatives by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr....

A programme to increase Jamaica’s resilience to climate change through enhancing adaptive capacity across priority sectors has been given a budgetary allocation of $6.9 million. Details of the ‘Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience II (PPCRII) – Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism’ are contained in the 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The programme began in 2015...