The Government is reviewing duties on imported food with the aim of reducing these charges. Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce are working together on the review. He was making his contribution to...

The Government will, later this year, be establishing the Institute of Higher Apprenticeships in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and industry stakeholders. This was announced by Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, during his 2025/26 Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Thursday (March 20). “This [institute] will provide advanced vocational certification while participants...

The 20 per cent duty concession, which currently applies to pickup trucks used by farmers, will now be extended to include other mid-sized commercial vehicles typically utilised in farming. Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, made the announcement during his contribution to the 2025/2026 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday (March 20). He said that...

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has announced a $1 billion Solidarity Programme that will provide one-time cash grants of $20,000 to 50,000 vulnerable Jamaicans. To be eligible for the grant, individuals should not be beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), the Social Pension Programme, National Insurance Scheme (NIS) or the Reverse Income...

The national minimum wage will be increased from $15,000 to $16,000 per 40-hour work week, effective June 1, 2025, representing a 6.7 per cent increase. Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, made the announcement during his contribution to the 2025/26 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday (March 20). He said the increase reinforces the Government's...

The Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) is now 95 per cent complete. Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the remaining segments, from Yallahs Bridge to Port Antonio and Morant Bay to Cedar Valley, will be completed by June 2025. “This transformative project has delivered 141 kilometres (km) of reconstructed roads, 248 km of water pipelines and...

Over the next two years, 300 young Jamaicans will be enrolled in an Expanded Apprenticeship Programme in critical industries that urgently need more skilled labour. Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who made the announcement during his contribution to the 2025/26 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives today (March 20), said the industries include construction and the...