A three-day Regional Workshop on measures to manage marine resources commenced on January 24 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. It is being hosted by the British High Commission, under the Caribbean Commonwealth Marine Economies programme, which involves a £5.6 million package of measures to help small island countries reduce poverty by preserving their marine environments, and making...

Five thousand Jamaicans are expected to gain employment in the tourism industry through the construction of four hotels, to cost some US$250 million, over the coming months. Of the four hotels, two will be located in Trelawny, one in Kingston, and the other in Port Antonio. Addressing the press launch of a revitalised ‘Spruce Up Jamaica’ initiative at the Devonshire,...

The Government provides public access to education for approximately 763,798 students or 71 per cent of the school age cohort (3-24). Of this total, 613,136 students are enrolled across 3,000 pre-primary, 995 primary and preparatory schools and 180 high schools, both public and private. This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, while...

Prime Minister Andrew Holness left the island this morning (Wednesday, January 25) to attend the Fifth Summit of the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The Summit which opened on Tuesday, January 24 will address a wide variety of issues affecting the Caribbean and Jamaica. The prime minister will return to the...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, is challenging the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) to identify options for improving customs activities, in order to optimise the Agency’s capacity for revenue collection. Noting that efficient customs procedures and processes are important elements in the Government’s drive for economic growth, Mr. Shaw said the JCA must be keen to...

Minister without Portfolio in the Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, is encouraging farmers to practise climate-smart agriculture (CSA), to help grow the sector in a sustainable way. CSA refers to agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, enhances resilience or adaptation, reduces greenhouse gases where possible, and enhances achievement of national food security and development goals. Mr. Hutchinson...

A new Lobster Licensing Regime has been developed to make the industry more transparent and investor friendly. This will become effective July 2017. This is contained in a Ministry Paper tabled recently in the House of Representatives by Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda. The new regime has been developed with the active participation of the...