The Government is strengthening monitoring and enforcement of critical pieces of legislation to safeguard the environment. Speaking in the Upper House on Friday (January 24), Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, said that the measures are being undertaken through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation in collaboration with National Environment and...

More than 3,500 women and youth are being targeted for training in agriculture as part of efforts to increase their participation in the sector. The training will be facilitated under the Gender-responsive Climate-smart Agriculture and Food Systems in the Caribbean project, which was recently launched at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston. It is being executed by the Food and...

The agricultural industry is poised for further growth this year, with significant investment in boosting productivity in fisheries, crop and livestock farming. Increased focus will also be placed on the rehabilitation of farm roads, providing cold storage to reduce post-harvest losses and building the resilience of the sector to climate change. Providing details of the initiatives to JIS News, Agriculture,...

The Sugar Industry Authority (SIA) has launched a training institute aimed at boosting productivity to ensure the sustainability of the island’s sugar sector. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SIA, Rupert Steele, who unveiled the initiative recently, said that the establishment of the institute is a strategic response “aimed at addressing what we believe is the major source of most...

The Grade 7 Academy, which has been operational at Holy Trinity High School in Kingston since September, is already reporting progress in student performance. The programme, spearheaded by St. Michael’s College in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, offers an adjusted curriculum focused on remedial reading, writing and numeracy. Student *Anthony Brown, who is enrolled in...

A noticeable decrease in commercial building fires has highlighted the success of intensified fire-safety and prevention initiatives undertaken by the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) throughout 2024. Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, JFB Commissioner, Stewart Beckford, informed that there was a 16 per cent reduction in the number of commercial building fires when compared to 2023. “The reduction can...

Jamaicans are being advised to get the flu vaccine to reduce severe outcomes from the illness. Speaking with JIS News, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, noted that the vaccine is available free of cost at health centres islandwide. She said that the Ministry is urging everyone, particularly the elderly, children, and...