Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Audley Shaw, has welcomed discussions taking place between the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) and the Pharmacy Council of Jamaica with the objective of getting locally produced cannabis-based medicines in local pharmacies. “We are encouraged by recent discussions. It is ironic that we are importing things like hemp and selling it in our pharmacies...

The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce has engaged with an investor to establish a bamboo pulp and paper mill in Westmoreland, valued at approximately US$296 million. It is estimated that the project will add 500 direct jobs and approximately 5,000 indirect jobs to the local economy over the next 10 years, said Portfolio Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, in his...

More than 100 informal operators in the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector will benefit from support to transition to formal status. Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Audley Shaw, said that the International Labour Organization (ILO) has provided a US$70,000 grant to undertake the formalising project. He said that the initiative will be implemented through the Jamaica...

By the end of the fiscal year, several processes will be fully automated on the National Business Portal (NBP). The NBP, an initiative being handled by JAMPRO, will house the Business-to-Government (B2G) online interface for all public-sector entities involved in the investment or business facilitation processes. These include registration of pharmaceutical products; accessing the productive input relief for health entertainment/creative...

The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce will be harnessing opportunities to advance the trade sector. This was noted by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Audley haw, during his 2021/22 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on May 11. “Several significant initiatives and programmes were mobilised to realign our strategic priorities to achieve growth,” he pointed...

Creators are being encouraged to register their Intellectual Property (IP) rights with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO). “We maintain registers for persons who have IP rights, such as trademarks, designs, geographical indications, patents, designs and, more recently, copyright,” said Deputy Director and Legal Counsel, JIPO, Dr. Marcus Goffe, during a recent webinar on IP Enforcement hosted by JIPO. “IP...

Some 20 State entities that facilitate imports and exports are earmarked for digitisation under the Jamaica Electronic Single Window for Trade (JSWIFT) initiative. The JSWIFT is the one-stop facility designed to provide fully automated services to enable a single portal for access to the services of all cross-border regulatory agencies. This was stated by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce,...