Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has announced a State of Public Emergency (SOE) for the parish of St. Catherine. At a virtual press conference on Friday morning (June 17), Mr. Holness said he advised the Governor-General to declare the SOE based on the recommendation of the Chief of Defence Staff and the Commissioner of Police. This is as...

Jamaica has been lauded for its progress in becoming a digital society. The commendation came from Chief Digital Officer and Corporate Vice President, Microsoft US Global Technology Leader, Jacky Wright. She was speaking during a ‘Riverside Chat’ held as part of the Jamaica 60 Diaspora Conference, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade from June 14 to...

The Students Loan Bureau (SLB) is now accepting loan applications online. The development is a new feature of the Strategic Transformation of End-users Experience Portal (STEEP), which has been enabled by the entity’s redesigned website. Deputy Executive Director at the SLB, Charmaine Rose Anderson, told JIS News that the customer portal allows the SLB to process the loans of applicants...

The Government is seeking to develop a strong monitoring and evaluation framework for national drug policies, strategies and plans, to prevent illicit drugs from entering the country. Executive Director of the National Council on Drug Abuse, Michael Tucker, said with the emergence of new psychoactive drugs and substances, it is critical that these mechanisms be put in place to enhance...

Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, is encouraging Jamaicans to break the culture of silence and speak out against wrongs. “Jamaicans, if we are going to solve the problems of indiscipline, lawlessness, corruption, criminality and all the problems that plague this country, every single Jamaican must take a stand and speak up,” he said, at the National Public Education Day...

The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) is looking to commence national rollout of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) – JAM-DEX – at the end of June. Governor Richard Byles said that the institution is at a point where “we are… ready [to proceed]”. He was speaking during a ‘Riverside Chat’ panel discussion on digital and cryptocurrency, during the 2022 Jamaica...

The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, is collaborating with other government entities on several strategies to develop the local medicinal cannabis industry. State Minister in the Ministry, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, said the measures include fast-tracking new product approvals, especially for cannabis manufacturers who want to diversify, to access new market opportunities. Other initiatives, he said, include developing...

Jamaicans overseas are being encouraged to seize the various opportunities available to invest in the island. Declaring that “Jamaica is open for business”, Minister of State for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, said that there are opportunities for business activity across diverse sectors, including agribusiness, manufacturing, tourism, logistics and outsourcing. He noted that entities such as...

The Government is to spend $31 billion on hard infrastructure this year, in a bid to boost climate resilience on the island, says Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda. “We are going to ensure that the roads that connect us to our transport hubs are the sort of roads...