General Manager of Jamaica National, Earl Jarrett, is advocating for Caribbean countries to unite to overcome economic stagnation and threats to their individual economies. He noted that the Caribbean is one space, with a collective history and a common cause, and this demands a single response to the multilaterals and trade and security issues. Mr. Jarrett was delivering the main...

President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Warren Smith, is urging member states to pursue strategies that will promote higher and more sustainable levels of growth in order to successfully transform their economies. Dr. Smith was addressing the 46th annual meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James yesterday (May 18). He...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, says the countries in the region should take advantage of the relatively low oil prices to implement meaningful reforms in the energy sector that will increase the resilience of their economies to oil price shocks. These reforms, he said, include increasing investments in renewables and energy-efficiency and conservation projects. Minister...

The National Works Agency (NWA) is advising communities and civic groups making plans to paint pedestrian crossings and other road safety markings on Labour Day that they must obtain authorisation from the agency before undertaking any such project. Manager of Communication and Customer Services at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, told JIS News that the agency has to approve the site...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is calling for the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to give priority to addressing the problem of high debt, which, he says, is impeding growth in the region. He said that while regional leaders “have made some bad choices in fiscal management and economic affairs,” the high debt being carried by Caribbean states “cannot...

Jamaica has surpassed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Primary Surplus and Net International Reserve (NIR) targets for the January to March quarter. The Primary Surplus was $120.8 billion, $1 million over the $120.7 billion target for the period, while the NIR amounted to US$2.4 billion, surpassing the target of US$1.5 billion. This was noted by the Economic Programme Oversight Committee...

Financial Secretary, Devon Rowe, says he is looking forward to the deliberations at the 46th annual meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Board of Governors, now underway in Montego Bay, St. James. The meetings take place at the Montego Bay Convention Centre as well as at the Ziva Hyatt and Zilara and Iberostar Resorts in St. James. Welcoming participants...