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The Government will be spending $50 million in the upcoming fiscal year to complete two sanitation projects being undertaken by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). These are construction of lavatory facilities at Westphalia All-age and Halls Delight Primary in rural St. Andrew. Details are outlined in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The aim...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is to be provided with 30 fire pumpers in the new fiscal year, as Government continues to equip the fire service to adequately respond to emergencies. The fire pumpers will be provided under the Acquisition of Fixed Assets Project in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development. A sum of $1.9 billion has been...

Thousands of young people are to be trained for jobs in digitisation and animation in the new fiscal year. The Government has allocated $986.6 million in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, for the training of 2,500 youth in the digitisation of records, with 1,250 to be placed in internship programmes. A further 80 are...

The Government has allocated $1.6 billion towards implementation of the National Identification System (NIDS) for Economic Growth project. This is outlined in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The programme aims to provide a secure, reliable and unique method of authenticating an individual's identity. So far, a vendor to develop the NIDS has been engaged,...

The Strategic Public Sector Transformation Project has received an additional $1 billion for the 2020/21 fiscal year. This provision is included in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, being spearheaded by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, aims to strengthen public resource management and support select public-sector institutions in facilitating a...

The Government has allocated $540 million in the upcoming fiscal year for the Access to Finance for Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (MSME) project. This project is geared at improving the availability of financing for MSMEs, and is being implemented in partnership with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and funding agency, the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ)....

Another $94 million has been provided by the Government to continue the construction and renovation of several tax offices across the island during the upcoming fiscal year. This sum is contained in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, which were tabled in the House of Representatives on February 11. The project, which commenced in September 2018, will entail the construction of...

The Government has allocated approximately $830 million to the Credit Enhancement Programme for the 2020/21 fiscal year. The Credit Enhancement Programme is geared towards promoting productive investments in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Jamaica, by enhancing their access to financing, particularly medium- and long-term loans. This Programme is also funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The anticipated...

The Government has budgeted $2.3 billion to construct and renovate police stations and other facilities to boost the fight against crime. The project, entitled ‘Construction and Improvement of Police Buildings’, is being implemented by the Ministry of National Security. As outlined in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the money will also go towards the...

The Government has allocated approximately $34.26 million to continue work under the ‘Support for Sustainability of Education Sector Reform’ project for the upcoming fiscal year. Details are provided in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Being implemented by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, the project aims to support the continued improvement in student...

A sum of $21.5 million has been allocated by the Government to advance teacher training and development under the ‘Promoting Quality Education and Advancing the Reality of a Child-Friendly Environment’ project. The details are outlined in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The funds provided will go towards conducting Health and Family Life Education training...

The Prevention and Care Management of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Programme in the Ministry of Health and Wellness has been allocated $453 million to undertake necessary works in the new fiscal year. The objective of the project is to improve the health of the Jamaican population by strengthening comprehensive policies for the prevention of NCDs and their risk factors, and...