The Government will be spending $9 million this year to strengthen the National Air Quality Management Programme. The money will be used to, among other things, expand Jamaica’s monitoring regime and build technical capacity to further bolster and enhance procedures, protocols and standards. This was disclosed by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon....

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given high marks for Jamaica’s performance under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), saying programme implementation remains strong, with public debt firmly on a downward trajectory. In its recently released Executive Board Review, the Fund highlighted that strong programme implementation continues to anchor macroeconomic stability. “All quantitative performance criteria and structural benchmarks for end-December 2017 were...

Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Director General, Dr. Wayne Henry, says the global shared services (GSS) sector, of which business process outsourcing (BPO) is a part, is a key pillar in the country’s economic growth and diversification strategy. Dr. Henry said marked growth in the BPO labour force is one area in which the sector’s impact has been most evident,...

Jamaica is among three Caribbean islands to benefit from a four-year initiative that will help the country prioritise and invest in ecosystems that specifically reduce its risk of disasters related to climate change. The Dominican Republic and Grenada are the other two islands to benefit from the Resilient Islands by Design Project, which runs from 2017 to 2021. The objective...

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has commended Jamaica on its ongoing efforts to reduce motor-vehicle carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions through improved fuel efficiency. This is expected to improve the overall environmental and human health in the country. Programme Officer, UNEP, Tatiana Romero, said Jamaica “has taken important and relevant steps” to address vehicle emissions, through various policies and regulations....

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Audrey Sewell, received Jamaica’s 3rd National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, today (March 27), for submission to the Cabinet. The National Communication highlights the activities that Parties have completed or are planning to complete in fulfilment of their obligations as Parties to the Convention....

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Dr Horace Chang, says the Government is committed to the introduction of more irrigation systems across the island for the benefit of small farmers. He acknowledged that there are several such systems already in place, highlighting that the Essex Valley irrigation system is currently being expanded. “The...