The impact of drought conditions on the prices of agricultural produce should be reversed by year-end. This is according to Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) Governor, Brian Wynter, who was addressing the BoJ’s quarterly media briefing held on August 25 at the Bank’s downtown Kingston offices. “This view is underpinned by the assessment that most of the crops that were affected...

In keeping with the Government’s growth strategy, the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), is vigorously  addressing the issue of access to financing for small entrepreneurs. General Manager for the Strategic Services Division at the bank, Claudine Tracey, told a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’ that the DBJ has taken a systematic approach to addressing the issue.  She said the DBJ has...

Entrepreneurs hoping to participate in the first Financial Information & Real-Time Matchmaking (FIRM) expo are being assured of the strictest level of confidentiality when they pitch their business plans to potential investors. A collaborative initiative between the public and private sector, FIRM is a proactive response to the problem of accessing financing in Jamaica, by establishing a financial matchmaking model...

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, says the country stands to benefit from several opportunities, resulting from devaluation of the Jamaican dollar. Speaking at the recent monthly meeting of the Rotary Club of New Kingston at Chasers Café, St. Andrew, Dr. Phillips said there is potential for a “whole range of investment activity”, which was not previously...

The county’s Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) says it is now satisfied that concerns raised by members of the private sector over amendments to the GCT Act were considered by the relevant parliamentary committee. In its monthly communiqué issued on August 14, EPOC says there were issues in the amendments to the GCT Act that were objected to by the...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), through its Growth Secretariat, has partnered with the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) to undertake an initiative aimed at resolving challenges businesses experience in accessing financing. Dubbed ‘Financial Information and Real-time Matchmaking’ (FIRM), the initiative will target the creation of an educational, financing, and networking platform, designed to provide market access to entities at...

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, has underscored the need for “certain adjustments” in how government functions in order to enhance the country’s competitiveness. These adjustments, he said, are also imperative in ensuring that Jamaica secures maximum benefits from implementation of the more “complex” aspects of the Economic Reform Programme (ERP). “We need to ensure that institutions...