The Government has budgeted $360 million to continue improving Jamaica’s emergency communication system in fiscal year 2023/24. The ‘Improvement of Emergency Communication System in Jamaica’ project aims to develop a national platform to coordinate incident response among key agencies of government and volunteers. Details of the engagement are outlined in the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure, tabled recently in the House...

In the 2023/24 financial year, the capability of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) to monitor and safeguard the country’s borders will be further strengthened. The Government has allocated $3.1 billion in the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure to facilitate the procurement of radar, marine offshore patrol vessels, cameras, software, hardware, and other equipment. This will be done under the Purchase and...

The Government will be procuring an additional 50 garbage compactor trucks, including small units that can traverse narrow community roads. Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, made the disclosure while delivering the Throne Speech to open the 2023/24 Parliamentary Year in Gordon House on Tuesday (February 14). Fifty garbage trucks were handed over by Prime Minister, the...

Work is in progress to complete the Action Plan to implement the National Diaspora Policy and to review the Foreign Trade Policy Action Plan. During the 2023/24 fiscal year, the Government will also complete the legislative support of the Work Plan for Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Countering the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction....

Agro-parks and production zones have recorded a 230 per cent increase in output for the 2022/23 fiscal year, compared to 2021/22. This was achieved following the Government’s provision of more than $1 billion to expand infrastructure and production in eight agro-parks and nine agro-economic Zones. Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, who made the announcement, highlighted the...

The Government is proposing to spend a total of $1 trillion for the 2023/24 fiscal year. This is Jamaica’s first trillion-dollar Budget. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, made the disclosure as he tabled the Estimates of Expenditure in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (February 14). Dr. Clarke said the funds are allocated...

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, arrives for Tuesday’s (February 14) ceremonial opening of Parliament, where he delivered the 2023/2024 Throne Speech outlining the plans of the Government for the new parliamentary year.

The Government is prioritising critical pieces of legislation to advance efforts towards improving public order and safety and reducing crime and violence. These include amendments to the Fingerprints Act and the Immigration Restriction (Commonwealth Citizens) Act and Aliens Act, Review of the Corrections Act, and amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) (to include Unexplained Wealth). Governor-General, His Excellency...

School attendance is returning to pre-COVID levels as the Government makes progress in bridging the digital divide and implementing the recommendations of the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission (JETC). This was noted by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, while delivering the Throne Speech at the 2023/24 ceremonial opening of Parliament at Gordon House, today (February 14). He...