More

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) yesterday (May 21) signed a financing agreement for a US$738,250 project, aimed at improving the general competitiveness and sustainability of family controlled micro small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) in Jamaica. Titled: 'Improving the competitiveness of Jamaican family businesses through corporate governance,' the project will "encourage the use...

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh, has reported that progress is being made in the efforts to resolve trade concerns affecting Jamaica and its CARICOM partners. Minister Baugh was commenting on CARICOM'S 26th Council on Trade and Economic Development meeting in Georgetown, Guyana, last Thursday and Friday. Minister Baugh told CARICOM...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce Michael Stern has said that small businesses are the bedrock of Jamaica. "In many ways, small businesses are the bedrock of the country. Their success mirrors the country's success," he stated at Today's Money Limited Mandeville Money Expo held on Wednesday (May 13) at the Golf View Hotel in...

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) opened its ninth Jamaica Business Information Centre (JAMBIC) in Mandeville Manchester on Thursday (May 14), which will provide a range of technical support for small entrepreneurs. The facility, located at the Morris Entrepreneurial Centre, is in collaboration with the Northern Caribbean University (NCU). A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the JBDC and...

Senior Director in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce Douglas Webster, has said that several investors were short-changing their businesses by failing to register them, thereby losing out on available financial and professional assistance. Mr. Webster, who is also the head of Policy, Planning, Projects and Research in the Ministry, was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Jamaica...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce Hon. Michael Stern, has said that Government is committed to the drive for global competitiveness and has created a National Export Strategy to take Jamaican exports to the next level. "The time has truly come for us to capitalise on our unique geographical location at the centre of the...

The Government is to provide $2 billion, through the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), to fund loans to micro, small, and medium sized enterprises, Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding has announced. Speaking in the 2009/10 Budget Debate in Parliament on Tuesday (May 5), Mr. Golding said the DBJ will make $1 billion available, through approved financial institutions (AFIs), to...

'Paving the way to growth and development through the protection of intellectual property rights,' is the mantra that characterises the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), the agency responsible for the administration of intellectual property rights in Jamaica. Established in January 2001, JIPO, which falls under the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, has the critical mandate of administering intellectual property...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Hon. Karl Samuda, has said that the use of the Consumer Alert publication is an effective medium of keeping consumers informed, so as to exercise greater intelligence in their purchasing decisions. Speaking at a press briefing last week at the Ministry's offices in New Kingston, the Minister pointed out that the bi-weekly publication of...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Hon. Karl Samuda, has said that measures will be implemented to discontinue certain ill-practices that have been identified in the used car industry and to ensure that dealers comply. "A complete review will be undertaken, and the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) has been asked to do a survey of all existing used car dealers...

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) will host its second annual one-day small business exposition, at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, on Wednesday May 6. Dubbed "Your Business, Our Business...How Can We Help You?", the event is part of the JBDC's thrust to facilitate the sustainable development of micro and small enterprises in Jamaica. Public Relations Officer at the JBDC, Sancia...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Karl Samuda, has come out strongly against what he describes as non tariff barriers being imposed on Jamaican products. "Right in our own backyard and to be more specific, in the area of manufacturing, only last week an established manufacturer who sought to enter the Trinidadian market, was blocked and not permitted to...