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Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Gladstone Hutchinson, says the economy must be transformed into a private sector-led one, if Vision 2030 or Jamaica's Fiscal Consolidation Programme is to be achieved. He challenged local business owners attending the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Chairman's Club Breakfast, on (September 28), at the Pegasus Hotel, saying the...

The Government will be strengthening economic diplomacy, in order to help steer the country out of the grip of the global financial crisis and lay a solid foundation for future progress, says Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh. "Recent events compel us to redouble our efforts to find that path to sustainable development that can...

Head of the Caribbean Development Bank's (CDB) Social Sector Division, Yvonne Moses Grant, says the prevailing economic crisis presents Caribbean countries with an opportunity for creative innovative solutions to deal with the challenges. "We must be creative and imaginative, finding the best solutions to the problems we face, creating new employment opportunities to offset the anticipated layoffs at the workplace,...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw, said that the Government's economic policies have the objective of growing the economy out of debt and positioning the country on a path to sustained development. The Minister was speaking to a nine-member delegation from Tanzania, including Minister of Energy and Minerals, William Ngeleja, today (Jan. 21) at the Ministry's National...

Another of America's leading rating agencies, Moody's, has maintained Jamaica's B (stable) rating, in its latest update issued yesterday (February 23).Moody's says: "The outlook for all ratings is stable, reflecting a balance between ongoing efforts at fiscal consolidation and the vulnerability of the country to external shocks". The agency cites Jamaica's strengths as - a commitment to fiscal discipline, proven...

Acting Assistant Commissioner of Taxpayer Services, Venice Ricketts, is imploring self-employed and small business operators to utilize the services offered by the Special Taxpayer Service Programme. Speaking with JIS News, Miss Ricketts said the programme is normally conducted from January to March of each year, to coincide with the filing period for income tax final returns. "The series, which started...

The St. Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation (SEHF) will be constructing a multi-skills youth training centre in Santa Cruz, and the government has committed to lease the organization some 16 hectares (40 acres) of land for the project. Member of Parliament for North Eastern St. Elizabeth and Agriculture Minister, Roger Clarke and executive members of the SEHF recently toured the site, which...

The National Insurance Fund (NIF) will invest J$1 Billion in the micro and small business sector over the next three years. Of this amount $650 Million is to be disbursed to the sector during this calendar year. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson made the announcement on Wednesday (Jan. 25) at the launch of the Young Entrepreneurs' Association of Jamaica (YEA at...

Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wesley Hughes, has said that as a cost saving measure, beginning this year, only the consumption component of the Survey of Living Conditions (SLC) would be published every year along with special modules that give some indication of the level of poverty. Dr. Hughes, who was speaking at the launch...

Senior Citizens' Clubs in St. Thomas have launched several income generating projects to expose the versatility of the elderly in the parish. The launch, organized by the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC), was held on February 26 at the Anglican Church Hall in Morant Bay, where several handicraft items, foods, preserves as well as fruits and vegetables were displayed....

Remittances in excess of US$36 million have accrued to the Jamaican economy over the last three years, through the Jamaica-United States (US) Overseas Employment Programme, now in its 60th year. The programme, which is administered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, now accounts for more than 8,000 farm workers, many of whom have been upgraded from ordinary workers...

Grenadian Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell has said that global changes had demonstrated that science and technology and innovation has become central to improving the economic performance of the region as well as the social well being of its people. Dr. Mitchell was delivering the keynote address at the University of the West Indies' 'Research Day' activities at the Mona...