The Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) is reporting that 2,837 entities took advantage of its COVID-19 Compliance Relief Initiative, during the initial period from May 2020 to March 2022. The support programme was launched to assist businesses hit hard by the pandemic to formally close without paying the full fees associated with filing closure notices. Due to overwhelming request for...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, says the National Identification System (NIDS), when implemented, will make banking easier for citizens. “We believe that NIDS offers to Jamaicans that level of comfort and ease to do transactions,” he said. “Imagine you have a single national identification system that is acceptable everywhere....

Entrepreneurs are being encouraged to set goals as a key ingredient for business success. Goals are predetermined targets that a business or individual plans to achieve over a set period of time. Managing Director of Sisters' Ink, Opal Levy, explained that goal setting “is when business professionals create specific objectives for the future”. She said that “when creating new businesses,...

The management of Red Stripe has been commended for piloting the local brewery giant through the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to expand the entity’s operations. This includes further production capacity buildout at the firm’s Spanish Town Road-based plant in Kingston. Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, who toured the plant, including the built-out facilities,...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the opening of the new 12-storey ROK Hotel Kingston will significantly contribute to the continued revitalisation of downtown Kingston, by further boosting the area’s economic potential. “It means more income in people’s pockets; it means the return of life in downtown Kingston; and more economic activity can take place,” he said. The...

Four of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) laboratories have been accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 International Standard. These are the Aggregates, Concrete and Masonry, Cement, and Energy Efficiency Testing Laboratories, which have been validated by the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC). Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, presented the certificates to representatives of...

The Jamaica Customs Act, which is to be repealed and replaced, will provide a modern framework that further enhances ease of doing business. The Act, which is currently before a Joint Select Committee of Parliament, will improve customs practices and procedures to facilitate trade effectively and efficiently. It will also ensure increased predictability and compliance with Customs requirements. Minister of...