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The Government has allocated $15 million to protect the livelihoods and food security in vulnerable communities. This will be done by improving land and water management for the agricultural sector, strengthening coastal protection and building institutional and local capacity for climate change adaptation. Details are given in the Estimates of Expenditure for 2015/16, tabled in the House of Representatives on...

The Government has allocated $20 million to continue the construction of three diagnostic and care centres to cater to students with special education needs in rural Jamaica. Details of the allotment are outlined in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project will be financed through the Consolidated Fund and is being implemented by the...

A sum of $25 million is earmarked for the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) to continue work, this year, on the country’s National Policy and Plan of Action on International Migration and Development. The sum, which represents a $10.4 million increase over last year’s allocation, is included in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before Parliament. The project, which commenced...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) has received $18 million to continue the implementation of the project to enhance the resilience of the agricultural sector and coastal areas. Details are included in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which commenced in 2012, aims to protect livelihoods and food security in vulnerable communities by:...

Young persons who are skilled in animation are to be provided with more opportunities as the Government has allocated $70 million in the 2015/2016 Budget for the Youth Employment in Digital and Creative Industries project. The programme was first launched in September 2014, and this year, provisions have been made for the purchasing of 190 computers, 385 tablets, 335 2D...

Government will spend $625 million this financial year, for the continuation of the Education System Transformation Programme (ESTP). Details of this allocation are outlined in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The funds will go toward the Ministry of Education’s policy to expand compulsory education from age 16 to 18 years by providing approximately 2,100...

More than $1.3 billion will be spent in the new fiscal year to  improve and upgrade the operations of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). The money has been set aside in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, currently before the House of Representatives. It will be shared among the Military Services, Air Wing, Coast Guard and Engineering Services. Of the figure,...

Several social and human development activities are to be completed this year under the Basic Needs Trust Fund project (BNTF7), for which $305 million has been allotted in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure. The project, which began in February 2013, is being implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), with funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The objective...

A sum of $464 million has been allotted for this year’s continuation of projects under the Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP) III. Details of the project are outlined in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), with funding from the European Union (EU), began...

The Government has allocated $195.4 million to continue work to construct new offices spaces downtown Kingston, to house the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The new facility will provide adequate accommodation for staff, meeting and conference facilities, and waiting areas for diplomats and other visitors. As stated in the Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives,...

Chief Economist at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Everton McFarlane, says the 2015/16 budget is a growth supporting budget. Speaking on the Jamaica Information Service’s (JIS) Issues and Answers television programme on Sunday, February 22, Mr. McFarlane pointed to an increase in the capital expenditure as well as spending on social programmes in this year’s budget, as measures that...

The Government has allocated $340 million towards the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality in Jamaica Project. This is contained in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament. The objective of the project is to provide support to Jamaica in attaining its Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality and improving maternal...