Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, says ongoing collective efforts are needed to achieve further reduction in corruption. Mrs. Williams acknowledged that significant work has been undertaken and progress made in this regard, resulting in Jamaica’s improved ranking to 68th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perception Index,...

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, has praised the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF) for its sustained contribution to national development over the organisation’s 75 years of existence. “Our nation is cognizant of the tremendous contribution that the JCCF has made in the continued development of model citizens who are ready to take their place in society...

The newly built St. Mary Drop-in Centre, located on Hodgson Street in Port Maria, was officially opened on Thursday (November 1) by Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie. The facility, which will provide provisional shelter for homeless persons in the parish, was constructed at a cost of $12 million. Its features include offices for an administrator and...

The Canadian High Commission is expressing pleasure with the operation of the Case Information Statistical System (CISS) in the nation’s courts. CISS, a component of the Canadian Government-funded Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation (JUST) programme, captures data on court-related activities. It was implemented in the parish courts in October 2016. The system is intended to enable the relevant stakeholders to...

Government has cleared its debt owed to the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) for streetlights. In making the disclosure at a disaster preparedness and mitigation town hall in Douglas Castle near the St. Ann/Clarendon border Thursday (October 25), Minister of Local Government and Community Development, the Hon Desmond Mckenzie, says the street light debt dates back several years and stood...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, the Hon Desmond McKenzie says Government continues to take the necessary steps to strengthen the country’s disaster resilience. Speaking at a town hall in Douglas Castle near the St. Ann/Clarendon border on Thursday (October 25), Minister McKenzie said that the Government has been proactive in its efforts to boost disaster preparedness, disaster risk...

Local and international investors are collaborating in the development of a factory that will produce paper and other value-added items from the bamboo plant. Chairman of the Bamboo Industry Association of Jamaica (BIAJ), Robert Rainford, said that the overseas investors are from Guatemala, Canada and China. “We are expecting that very soon, approval will be granted for funding to move...