Jamaica’s inflation rate continues to trend downward, reaching a 50-year low of three per cent at the end of the March 2016 quarter. Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) Governor, Brian Wynter, says the figure is the lowest since financial year 1966/67. “It is lower than the 3.7 per cent that was recorded in December 2015 and it is lower than the...

President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Dr. Warren Smith says the region can be proud of what it has accomplished since Independence. He was speaking in an address at the recently concluded 46th Annual Board of Governors Meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James. Dr. Smith pointed out that prior...

Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA), Major Richard Reese, has expressed confidence that the 38th annual conference of the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC), being hosted in the country, will be a success. Major Reese was addressing the opening ceremony for the five-day conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston yesterday (May 17). The conference,...

The Government is to establish a national consultative working group for micro, small and medium-size enterprises (MSME) this year as part of measures to further develop the sector. This was announced by Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, at the opening ceremony for the Jamaica Business Development Corporation’s (JBDC) ninth annual small business exposition and conference, at...

Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon, Karl Samuda, says the Government is committed to facilitating the continued development of the micro, small and medium-size enterprise (MSME) sector. He said the sector, which employs more than 90 per cent of the workforce,  is integral to Jamaica’s growth and economic progress. “A critical element of our national development plan is to...

The Government is exploring the introduction of an entrepreneurship curriculum in schools, in a bid to foster innovation among students. Making the announcement, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda, said the curriculum is expected to be introduced in all primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. “It is critical that we sensitise young people to the need to...

Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, has announced that there will be a reduction in the cess on local conch from US$0.75 cents to US$0.50 cents per pound, this year. He made the announcement during a press conference following a tour of the Rainforest Seafoods plant on Slipe Road in Kingston, on Friday, May 6. Mr. Samuda...