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Several schools across the island are to benefit from upgrading works this fiscal year under the Basic Needs Trust Fund project. These include the Christiana Moravian Primary and Mandeville Primary in Manchester, Discovery Bay All-Age and Ocho Rios Primary in St. Ann, Old Harbour Primary and Brown’s Hall Primary in St. Catherine, Braes River Primary in St. Elizabeth, and May...

Establishment of the Jamaica National Identification Agency (JNIA) is to commence in the 2017/18 fiscal year. This is one of the activities to be undertaken as the Government moves to develop a National Identification System (NIDS) that supports secure, reliable and robust verification and authentication of citizens and persons normally resident in Jamaica. A sum of $262.7 million has been...

The Government has allocated $385 million towards the Production Incentives Project to mitigate the effects of drought conditions impacting farmers. Details are outlined in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. For the next fiscal year, the project aims to procure and deliver one hundred 650- gallon water tanks, procure and deliver on-farm irrigation kits for...

Just over $32 billion has been set aside in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, for the Government’s repayment of loans to several bilateral and multilateral institutions. These include $11.9 billion to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in relation to capital, infrastructure and social development, agriculture, education and technical assistance, and liquidity and health support....

The Port Authority of Jamaica will be allocated a loan of $1.5 billion for industrial development and export promotion support. The sum will be used to facilitate Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) expansion in Montego Bay and Portmore, Details are provided in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, tabled in the House of Representatives, recently. The sum is part of the $5.03...

An additional $21.67 million has been allocated to continue implementation of the public-sector-transformation programme in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service this year. This sum is provided for in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, which were tabled in the House of Representatives, recently. The activity, which commenced in August 2014, aims to transform the Ministry into a high-performing...

A sum of $5 million has been allocated by the Government to provide assistance to the Water Resources Authority to update the country’s Water Resources Development Master Plan (WRDMP). Funding for the project is being provided by the Government of Jamaica and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The money is included in the 2017/2018 Estimates of Expenditure now before the...

The Government has budgeted $211 million to continue work to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of key social protection programmes in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The allocation, contained in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditures now before the House of Representatives, will go towards the ‘Integrated Social Protection and Labour Programme,’ which is being funded by the Inter-American...

The Government has allocated $30 million to the Portmore Hagen Climate Change Park project. This is contained in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project aims to raise public awareness about issues surrounding climate change among residents in Portmore, St. Catherine and its environs. It is anticipated that this increased awareness will change how...

Work will continue in the new fiscal year on the upgrading of the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) through a $16 million allocation in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives. The objective of the project, which began in February 2015, is to improve public access to Jamaica’s cultural heritage through the provision of advanced audio-visual technology...

The Government is strengthening its capacity to manage chemicals and hazardous wastes in an environmentally-sound manner. A sum of $3.2 million has been allocated for the undertaking in the 2017/2018 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation through funding from the Quick Start Trust Fund....

Over $48.4 million has been allocated to the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development. This is outlined in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives. The project aims to contribute to the implementation of Montego Bay’s Urban Action Plan in order to address the main environmental, urban and...