Prime Minister Andrew Holness revealed that he has asked the Ministry of Science Technology and Energy to fast-track a planned program aimed at replacing open flame light sources in homes with solar lights in vulnerable rural and inner-city communities. The Prime Minister's revelation comes after a deadly fire in his constituency last night which claimed the lives of three toddlers....

The Universal Service Fund (USF) will be engaging approximately 1,000 youngsters in information communication technology (ICT) training and employment over a 12-month period commencing January 2018. Participants are now being recruited for the Technology Advancement Programme (TAP), which involves partnership with the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology and the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU). Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Andrew...

General Manager, Caribbean Country Department, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Therese Turner-Jones, says the National Identification System (NIDS) will lay the foundation for Jamaica to become a digital economy. The digital economy is the worldwide network of economic activities, commercial transactions and professional interactions that are enabled by information and communications technology (ICT). The Government is emphasising the creation of a...

Approximately 150 young people are now in a better position to tap into the global US$230-billion animation industry, having received certification under phase one of the Creative Industries Education and Employment Programme (CIEEP). With an estimated investment of US$779,000, the CIEEP aims to equip participants with international industry-standard training in 3D animation for feature films. The CIEEP is an initiative...

Jamaica and the Republic of South Africa are to sign a Commercial Agreement that will see businesses in both countries collaborating on nutraceuticals, research and development. This was stated by Charge d’Affaires at the South African High Commission Phillip Riley, while addressing a National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST) Symposium held on November 30 at the Jamaica Conference Centre in...

Adolescents who use the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre in St. Andrew now have a safe and healthy space where they can do their homework and conduct research, while benefiting from counselling and other services. The newly renovated space, dubbed ‘Teen Hub’, is a collaborative effort of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation; Ministry of Health; and the Ministry of Education, Youth and...

The Universal Service Fund (USF) is inviting Jamaicans and persons residing in the country to enter their ‘Postcards of Christmas Past’ competition. “We want persons to share ‘Kodak’ moments of an authentic Jamaican Christmas for chances to win big,” Marketing and Public Relations Manager at the USF, Delene Powell, told JIS News. She explained that persons just need to “take...

Residents of Rockfort in Kingston now have easier access to Internet and other computer-related services with the establishment of a community access point (CAP) in the community by the Universal Service Fund (USF) at a cost of $2.6 million. The Rockfort Internet Café, located at Glasspole Avenue, is equipped with 13 desktop computers, two printers, one server unit with supporting...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, Hillary Alexander, says the country is on a mission to have 30 per cent of its electricity generated from renewables by the year 2030. Mrs. Alexander was speaking at the start of the two-day Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) Executive Development Programme in Energy Efficiency (EDPEE) Onsite Workshop at the...