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Some 2.6 billion people worldwide are to benefit from a Global Sanitation Fund established by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), based in Geneva, Switzerland. The beneficiaries represent 40 per cent of the world's population who do not have access to basic sanitation. The aim of the fund is to support national efforts to help large numbers of...

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant has said that if the local agricultural sector is enabled to realize its full potential IT will directly contribute to the livelihood of all farmers, and will also greatly assist in the enhancement of the lives of the general Jamaican population. Giving the main address at the official launch of...

An allocation of $682.8 million has been set aside in the 2008/09 Estimates of Expenditure, currently before the House of Representatives, for the Citizens Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) in the Ministry of National Security. The Programme, which commenced in September 2001, is aimed at preventing and reducing violence; strengthening the crime management capabilities of the security forces, and improving...

The University of Technology (UTech) Enhancement project has been allotted $131.3 million in the 2008/09 Estimates of Expenditure which is now before the House of Representatives, to fund its activities for the new fiscal year. The project which is funded by the Caribbean Development Bank and the Government of Jamaica, seeks to enhance the university's capacity to provide quality level...

Competition in the Jamaican economy will be enhanced with a provision of $700,000 to the Capacity Building in Competition Policy project for the 2008/09 fiscal year. This has been made available in the 2008/09 Estimates of Expenditure, which are now before the House of Representatives. The project intends to strengthen the capacity of the Jamaica Fair Trading Commission (JFTC) to...

Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang, has welcomed a Regional Workshop on the 'Integration of Sanitation Policies into National Development Plans of Caribbean Countries' to be held at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston on April 28 and 29. The workshop will analyse the current sanitation situation in Caribbean countries, look at operational strategic issues and work at...

The 2007/08 fiscal year saw the Public Sector Modernization Division (PSMD) in the Office of the Cabinet undertaking significant work to strengthen and reform the institutional framework of several Government ministries and agencies. The activities formed part of the continuation of work carried out between 1996 and 2003 under the World Bank-funded Public Sector Modernization Programme (PSMP), which saw performance-based...

The Plant Breeding and Diagnostics Technologies project will benefit from $10.3 million in the upcoming fiscal year. This was revealed in the 2008/09 Estimates of Expenditure currently before the House of Representatives. The project intends to use radiation to induce mutation to develop plants with desirable characteristics such as resistance to diseases, and improved yields, among other things. Two main...

Minister of Health and Environment, Rudyard Spencer has assured that all relevant stakeholders have been engaged regarding the removal of user fees at public health facilities, except the University Hospital of the West Indies. He said all are now onboard and committed to ensuring that the policy succeeds. "We have met with every critical player in healthcare in Jamaica especially...

The Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, with responsibility for Women's and Gender Affairs and Community Development, Hon. Olivia Grange wishes to announce the establishment of the Corporate Offices of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports (MICYS), at 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5. In addition to the Corporate Offices, the location also houses the Culture Division of...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says Jamaica can no longer afford to deny itself of the reservoir of knowledge and tremendous experience that exist in professionals such as teachers, in order to stick to the time honoured practice of retiring people simply because they have reached the age of 60. Mr. Golding noted that Jamaica has an aging population with people...

The Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, with responsibility for Women's and Gender Affairs and Community Development, Hon. Olivia Grange wishes to announce the establishment of the Corporate Offices of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports (MICYS), at 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5. In addition to the Corporate Offices, the location also houses the Culture Division of...