More

Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC), Angela Manning has said that Jamaica ranked high among its CARICOM counterparts in preparing consumers for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), which will be in place by 2005. Mrs. Manning said that Jamaica was the first to draft legislation for the protection of consumers and that several CARICOM countries...

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) is seeking a bigger share of the lucrative international film industry pie, estimated to be worth billions of United States dollars. Michael McMorris, JAMPRO's Executive Director of Marketing, told JIS News recently, that discussions were being held with Canadian and British film councils to develop co-production treaties to allow for increased investments in film production locally....

The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), is moving ahead with the partial implementation of its e-services for exporters, with the projected deadline for the first phase less than two months away. In an interview with JIS News, JAMPRO's Executive Director of the Services Sector Department, Venice Pottinger, revealed that in the case of the first phase, it should be fully operational...

Joseph Matalon, Chairman of Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), has reported a 37.6 per cent increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) over the past year, moving from $10.6 billion in 2002 to $17 billion in 2003. The increased investment has resulted in 5,190 new jobs being created for the current year in the information technology (IT), manufacturing, mining, film, and tourism...

Pepsi-Cola (Jamaica) Limited has announced an investment of some $360 million in new equipment and machinery at its Spanish Town Road plant, to bring the local company on par with cutting edge technology used by bottling companies regionally. Speaking at the launch of the new investment initiative yesterday (June 10) at the plant, Minister of Development, Dr. Paul Robertson said,...

The Jamaica Customs Department has officially launched its electronic (e)-payment system to facilitate the convenience of online payment by importers. The e-payment system was first introduced by the Customs Department on January 7, 2003 as a pilot project. It involved 15 importers and their Customs Brokers, who were allowed exclusively to carry out their transactions online. With the launch of...

Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, Phillip Paulwell, has warned local producers, that the coming of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) would place increased pressure on them to compete effectively with their CARICOM neighbors. Minister Paulwell was launching the Quality Jamaica Project on Wednesday, July 9 at Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston. The US$1.4 million project was funded...

Vice President of Wireless Business Unit at The Lewis Group (TLG), Norman Anderson, has said that wireless technology was critical to helping the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meet and overcome its challenges. Mr. Anderson was addressing the Regional Telecommunications Conference organised by the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organisations (CANTO) in The Bahamas, just ahead of the recently concluded, 24th Meeting...

President of Jamaica's investment promotion and export trade development agency, JAMPRO, Patricia Francis, has said that Jamaica's Global Competitiveness profile, shows that the country enjoys five key strengths, which are among the highest in the world. As such, producers of Jamaican goods and services are poised to benefit from significant income earning opportunities. She was speaking at a Policy Forum...

The Government has committed resources to facilitate the implementation and operation of the Jamaica Trade Point, in which partners in five sectors that provide critical services to the export sector have been integrated under one virtual roof. They are the Ministry of Development through JAMPRO; Commerce, Science and Technology through the Trade Board; Finance and Planning through the Customs Department...

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and core private sector partners, for the establishment of Jamaica Trade Point, an electronic trade facilitation system. The JAMPRO implemented system is part of the Global Trade Point Network, which links over 153 trade points in 91 countries. Co-ordinated by the United Nations Conference on Trade...

Development Minister, Paul Robertson, has said the Government was engaged in a number of initiatives with overseas development partners to boost private sector growth. In the meantime, emphasis will be placed on creating an environment for local entrepreneurs, by clearing bureaucratic hurdles, which constrained the development agenda, and "fetter the private sector, which is the engine of growth," the Minister...