Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, says while start-up businesses can be generally risky, it is important that ways be found to give them an opportunity to succeed. Addressing the Caribbean Angel Investor Forum at the Hyatt Ziva Hotel, Montego Bay, recently, Mrs. Williams said that ‘angel investing’ represents an avenue...

Jamaica has signed a visa waiver agreement with the Dominican Republic. It is one of several bilateral agreements brokered by Prime Minister Andrew Holness during a recent official visit to the country. The visa waiver will facilitate easier travelling for holders of diplomatic and official passports between Jamaica and the Domincan Republic. Prime Minister Holness signed a communiqué with the...

The Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) will be assessing the impact of the flood rains which lashed the island last week to determine whether its inflation forecast needs to be revised. While indicating that the general target was not expected to change, Governor, Brian Wynter, said the Bank would be better able to determine whether the forecast range needs to be...

The Government will be carrying out restoration work on several national monuments, as part of activities for Labour Day, which will be observed on May 23. These include the Workers Monument in downtown Kingston, the Workers Park in Frome, Westmoreland, the Workers Memorial in Islington, St. Mary and the Tacky monument in Port Maria. Minister of Labour and Social Security,...

Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) Co-Chair, Keith Duncan, is proposing that the Government analyse the over-performance in tax revenue inflows recorded for the 2016/17 fiscal year to determine the underlying factors driving this outcome. This, he said, should be done to ensure that this out-turn can be sustained over the long term. He posited the suggestion while addressing journalists during...

The Government is set to roll out a Scotch bonnet pepper programme in North East Manchester in the next few weeks. This was announced by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. JC Hutchinson during a meeting with Irish Potato Farmers at the Restore Pentecostal Church in Devon, Manchester on May 17. He explained...

The Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) is supporting the proposed reintegration of public bodies generating significant financial surpluses into central Government. The move, which is slated to commence in July with three entities, is among nine new public sector transformation structural benchmarks contained in the revised Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies underpinning the administration’s precautionary Stand By Agreement (SBA)...