Located about 10 miles north of Spanish Town, St. Catherine, is Jamaica’s first free village, Sligoville. The property was purchased by Baptist Minister and abolitionist, Rev. James Mursell Phillippo, who arrived in Jamaica in 1823. He campaigned for the abolition of slavery, which came in 1834, and for the establishment of free villages for the emancipated slaves. It was in...

As Jamaica marks 184 years since Emancipation and the 56th anniversary of Independence, Executive Director of the Institute of Jamaica (IoJ), Vivian Crawford, is highlighting the need for greater focus on the country’s rich heritage. He points out that there are important lessons to learn from how the ancestors lived and conducted themselves, including the social norms and values, which,...

Within the next three years, Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) personnel will be using more technological solutions in their daily operations in a bid to reduce incidents of crime and their likely occurrence. Some of the technology-based software tools being developed, which should become fully operational by 2021, include: Jampol Stats; JCF Docs application; the QR Code; and Station Records Management...

Another 80 Jamaicans will be taking up employment opportunities in Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP). The workers, who comprise 80 per cent returnees, will be deployed mainly to Ontario and Nova Scotia. In her address to the workers at a send-off ceremony held at the Ministry of Labour’s Overseas Employment Services Centre in downtown Kingston on Friday...

As the nation gears up to celebrate 56 years of Independence next Monday (August 6), Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has called on Jamaicans to focus more on the sciences, commerce, industry and trade for the development of the economy and to make their mark in those areas across the world. Speaking at the Governor-General, His Excellency the...

Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Governor, Brian Wynter, says proposed safeguards against money laundering and terrorism financing are among notable developments emerging under the Government’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS), since its launch in March 2017. The strategy is an ambitious portfolio of project activities designed to empower Jamaicans financially, through improved access to financial information and products tailored to meet...

The Youth in Agriculture (YIA) village at this year’s Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, will highlight methods to reduce the impact of climate change on agriculture under the theme ‘Youth in Agri-business: Sustaining the Environment”. Denbigh is being held from August 4 to 6 at the Denbigh Showground in May Pen, Clarendon. The village, which is being hosted by...