Effective April 1, students seeking a loan from the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB), will now only require one guarantor instead of two. This was announced by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, who said this is being done to broaden accessibility to this loan facility, particularly for low-income families. “One hurdle that creates a...

The Government is to complete a Regulatory Impact Assessment and National Strategy and Action Plan for integrated waste management for Jamaica, in the upcoming financial year. This is to be carried out under the Plastic Waste Minimisation Project, which seeks to enhance the capacity of the country to carry out integrated waste management and strengthen the policy and legislative framework...

The Electronic Land-Titling Project, which seeks to enhance the land-registration process, is to get under way in April. To commence the initial project activity, a sum of $60 million has been set aside in the 2021/22 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. For the 2021/22 period under the project, it is anticipated that a Project Management Office...

All construction activities under the Montego Bay Closed Harbour Beach Park project are to be completed in the upcoming fiscal year. The project aims to provide 6.5 hectares of active public park with recreational amenities for the people of Montego Bay in St. James. A sum of $91.95 million has been provided to complete the remaining project activities, as outlined...

Establishment of the gene bank for the rehabilitation of the Negril Great Morass in Westmoreland is to be completed during the upcoming financial year. Setting up of the gene bank, which is a type of biorepository that preserves genetic material, is being carried out under the Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (IWEco) project,...

A sum of $328 million has been provided to wrap up activities under the Montego Bay Waterfront Protection Project, in the upcoming financial year. The project seeks to rehabilitate the Montego Bay Groynes to reduce the loss of beachfront acreage to coastal erosion and protect valuable coastal resources along the Montego Bay Waterfront and marine ecosystems in the area. The...

One hundred micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are to benefit from capacity building, technical assistance or grants in the upcoming financial year. This will be facilitated under the Boosting Innovation, Growth and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (BIGEE) project, for which $350 million has been allotted in the 2021/22 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. It is also anticipated...

The Government has allotted $66 million to complete activities under the Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP) IV in the upcoming financial year. The funds, which have been provided in the 2021/22 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, will be used to facilitate the issuance of close-out certificates for 10 remaining infrastructure subprojects. These relate to four health centres...

The Government has allotted $200 million to complete activities under the Jamaica Integrated Community Development Project, during the upcoming fiscal year. The project seeks to enhance access to basic urban infrastructure and services, and support increased community safety in selected economically vulnerable and socially volatile inner-city communities of Jamaica. The money has been provided in the 2021/22 Estimates of Expenditure,...