The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) plans to introduce a national electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) platform to streamline and standardise the account-opening process, expand financial inclusion, and reduce paperwork. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, announced the measure as she opened the 2026/27 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (March 10). Mrs. Williams...

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, has announced that an enterprise team is being established to explore opportunities for the development and potential privatisation of the Trelawny Multipurpose Stadium as part of efforts to position the facility as a hub for sports tourism. She made the disclosure during the Standing Finance Committee of the House of...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., has affirmed that the National Insurance Fund (NIF) remains strong and financially viable. He notes that the facility continues to diversify its investments and strengthen its financial position as the Government reinforces its capacity to meet both current and future obligations to contributors and beneficiaries. “As at March 2026, the...

By September 2026, every early-childhood institution (ECI) across Jamaica will be staffed with at least one trained teacher. This was announced by Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, during Friday’s (March 6) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, whose members reviewed the 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure. Senator...

The 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure have been updated to include an $18 billion allocation for disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response in schools. “I believe [that] at the start of the Standing Finance [Committee review] process, there would have been an amendment done, where $18 billion was allocated to the Ministry of Education for that line,” said Minister of Education, Skills,...

Jamaica is being urged to invest in the purple economy, which is focussed on professionalising care work to meet the growing demand for elderly care services, while driving economic growth. International Population and Development Specialist, Dr. José Miguel Guzman, made the suggestion, while delivering the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s (PIOJ) recent Dialogue for Development Distinguished Lecture at the Jamaica Pegasus...

Total damage and losses associated with the passage of Hurricane Melissa are estimated at $1.952 trillion (US$12.2 billion), says Director General, Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wayne Henry. This figure is equivalent to 56.7 per cent of Jamaica’s 2024 gross domestic product (GDP). It is up from earlier estimates from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which placed the cost...