More

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Karl Samuda, has called on the CARICOM Secretariat to establish a monitoring mechanism for the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which would, among other things, enable countries to share best practices. He noted that there is no mechanism in place to ensure that the success that one member state has achieved...

Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon. Karl Samuda, has said that small businesses, with the potential to enhance the productive sector, will be given financial assistance to operate in a sustainable manner. "I believe that, as Government, we must now move to deal with a new approach to financing small businesses in Jamaica," Mr. Samuda said. He was addressing the...

The Furniture and Wooden Products Incubator Project's Design Centre was officially opened on Friday (December 4) following a brief ceremony at the offices of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica on Winchester Road in Kingston. Now in the pilot phase, (the second of four phases) the Incubator project is being implemented by the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce through the...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, the Hon. Karl Samuda, has said that while Jamaican products are of good quality, more need to be done to raise standards to the international market level. "We need to go much further. It needs to become second nature for us to produce the best quality that we can produce," Mr. Samuda told the...

The Jamaica Trade and Invest (JTI) is pushing for greater emphasis to be placed on the Meeting, Exhibition, Events and Convention (MEEC) industry, which is not being given the same level of attention as tourism. Consulting Officer, Investment Services, at the JTI, Ms. Kerisha Cadogan, told a forum put on by year four hospitality students of the Excelsior Community College,...

The Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) has announced an extension of its amnesty to February, 2010, to allow all charitable groups to file outstanding returns at reduced costs. Charitable groups include churches, charitable organisations, service clubs, professional associations, community-based organisations and other such groups, which are registered under the Companies Act as companies limited by guarantee without a share capital....

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Michael Stern, has said that in the new global economic environment, more emphasis has to be placed on protecting consumers. "With the liberalisation of markets globally, privatisation of Government services, increased Internet usage and developments in new technologies, consumers need to be properly protected in the market," the...

The Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) is inviting church groups and religious bodies in the Corporate Area and St. Catherine to attend an amnesty interactive session tomorrow (November 10) at its head office at 1 Grenada Way in New Kingston, commencing at 5:30 p.m. The session will be the second of a series of interactive meetings dubbed: 'COJ Meet the...

The Scientific Research Council (SRC) has moved to position the nutraceutical industry as a viable business option for current and prospective entrepreneurs, as well as a platform to promote and advance healthy lifestyles in Jamaica. The Council, on Tuesday (November 3), launched its YES INVEST initiative at the Devonshire Restaurant, Devon House, St. Andrew, which aims to introduce and generate...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Karl Samuda, says there is a need for more small businesses in Jamaica to produce goods and services for the export market. "We have never had the sense of urgency to develop businesses in a competitive way. We have seen the need to export in order to survive and, it is against that...

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, has called for more creativity in the manufacture of products that will give Jamaican Brand greater prominence in the global marketplace. He also urged producers of such goods to ensure that they register their products to avoid piracy and earn maximum returns on their investments. Mr. Samuda was speaking at the CoK...

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, the Hon. Karl Samuda, has underscored the importance of small business stakeholders utilizing the Internet in advancing their operations. To this end, he said efforts must be made to facilitate training in the use of this and other information and communications technology (ICT) applications, in order to boost their outputs and, by extension, those of...