Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says that more new companies and businesses were registered in the 2020/21 financial year than at any other time in the country’s history. “This says something about what is happening with small businesses and people seeking to formalise themselves in the economy,” he said, in his contribution to the 2021/22 Budget Debate in...

The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) will be launching its ‘Go Digital’ technical assistance programme on April 1, geared at promoting the adoption of cutting-edge technology practices among micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This was disclosed by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, during his contribution to the 2021/22 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, on March...

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the food industry are among stakeholders to benefit from capacity-building interventions, including improved market access, under the National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ) Food Safety Management System Expansion Project. Funded by the European Union (EU), the initiative, which was officially launched during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday (March 17), seeks to improve...

The Chairman of the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA), Mr. LeVaughn Flynn, has announced the appointment of Ms. Faith Graham as acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CLA. Graham joined the Authority in 2018 as the Director of Enforcement and Monitoring with primary responsibility for ensuring compliance and standards within Jamaica’s medical cannabis industry. She assumed the role of acting...

State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, says the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) has been closely monitoring the prices for coronavirus (COVID-19) tests at accredited labs to ensure fair trade. “The Ministry has tasked the Consumer Affairs Commission to be vigilant in the marketplace, to ensure that all the places that have...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Audley Shaw, says the Government is moving to repeal and replace the Trade Act. He made the announcement during Thursday’s (March 4) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, whose members were reviewing the 2021/22 Estimates of Expenditure. The Trade Act provides for, among other things, the regulation of...

Sixty small and medium-sized mining and quarry operators have benefited from entrepreneurial skills training to better enable their businesses to survive and thrive. The training was conducted by the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) under the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States-European Union (OACPS-EU) Development Minerals Programme Phase II. Among the areas covered by the training were how to...