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An allocation of $30.6 million has been made in the 2014/15 budget, to upgrade several of the island’s abattoirs, under the Diversification of the Caribbean Livestock through the Production of Small Ruminants project. The project’s goal is to contribute to achieving self-sufficiency in regional meat consumption, initially through the development of the small ruminant industry; increase the availability of quality...

A sum of $9.3 million has been set aside by the Government this financial year to make final payments for works carried out on seven sub-projects under the Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP) II. Details of this allocation are outlined in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The initiative, which ran from June 2007 to December...

A total of $156.3 million has been set aside in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure to fund the Rural Electrification Programme. The objective of the project is to expand the reach of electricity supply to rural areas, where the provision of such services would not be economically viable for commercial providers. Other objectives include: enabling householders in rural communities to...

Government will spend $23.8 million this financial year, to make final payments under the Inner City Basic Services project. Details of this allocation are outlined in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The initiative, which lasted from May 2006 to December 2013, was implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), with funding from the...

A sum of $15 million has been allocated in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure for the Enhancing the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Regulatory Environment in Jamaica project. The proposed budget, which was tabled in the House of Representatives on April 3 by Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, will be reviewed by the Standing Finance Committee...

A sum of $464 million has been allotted to the Ministry of National Security to upgrade the communication and vehicle tracking systems of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). The funds, which have been allocated in the 2014/2015 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, will go towards the provision of digital radio networks and the training of JCF...

The Government will be seeking to promote private sector investment in the energy sector by updating the regulatory framework, preparing projects for investment decisions, and increasing the contribution of renewable energy in electricity. To this end $393.7 million has been allocated in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure for the Energy Security and Efficiency Enhancement project. The proposed budget, which was...

The country’s business environment will be further strengthened, with the support of $40 million, which has been set aside in the 2014/15 budget, to enable large scale investments and capacity support for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. The Jamaica Foundations for Competiveness and Growth project, being implemented by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), is geared at...

Persons most at risk for contracting HIV are being targeted under a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded programme. As outlined in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the HIV Prevalence in Most-at-Risk Population Reduced programme, which runs from October, 2009 to September, 2014, will this financial year receive $294.1 million. The objectives of...

An allocation of $177 million has been made in this year’s budget to complete the University of Technology’s (UTech) School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM). Now 85 per cent complete, work on the facility is among the various infrastructural improvements taking place at the university as part of the UTech Enhancement Project. Being funded by the Caribbean Development Bank...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is to receive $96.65 million to carry out a project to combat poverty and improve revenues in banana dependent areas. The Jamaica Banana Accompanying Measures (JBAMS) project is being funded by a $90 million grant from the European Union, and $6.65 million from the Government of Jamaica. This is set out in the 2014/15...

As the country strives to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) relating to the reduction of maternal and child mortality, a total of $102.9 million has been allotted to support this undertaking in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure. This will be carried out under the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC) in Jamaica programme, which began in April, 2013...