A sum of $703.7 million has been budgeted for 2019/2020 to increase Jamaica’s resilience to climate change, through enhancing adaptive capacity across priority sectors. Details of the project are outlined in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure tabled recently in the House of Representatives by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke. The money will be...

A sum of $10 million has been budgeted by the Government to strengthen the policy, legislative and institutional framework that guides the management and treatment of involuntary returned migrants to the island. The money has been allocated in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. It will go towards preparing a framework and protocol for tracking...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is reporting that the economy grew by an estimated 1.7 per cent over the October to December 2018 quarter, as against 1.8 percentage points during the preceding period. Director General, Dr. Wayne Henry, says this reflected an estimated 4.2 per cent increase in the goods producing industry and a 0.8 per cent out-turn in...

The Government has set aside $578 million for the continuation of projects under the Public Sector Modernisation Programme (PSMP) II, in the next fiscal year. Funding details are outlined in the 2019/2020 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. A major objective of the project is to support the development and delivery of integrated public services that meet...

Entertainment events contributed some $71 billion to the Jamaican economy between 2012 and 2016, with 1.9 million people employed in various positions. This was noted by Senior Lecturer of the University of the West Indies, Mona, Dr. Sonjah Stanley Niaah, while commenting on the value and culture of dancehall, at the Jamaica Music Museum ‘Grounation’ series held on Sunday, February...

A total of $161 million is earmarked to continue work by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service next fiscal year to construct and renovate several tax offices islandwide. The sum is contained in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which commenced in September 2018, targets construction of tax offices in Cross...

Work to further build out phase two of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR II) will continue this year with a $379-million budgetary allocation. This is contained in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which commenced in April 2013 and initially ran for 30 months, aims to improve the quality and use...