Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has informed that a comprehensive review and renovation of markets is to begin this year. “We have heard the pleas of the vendors for better facilities from which they can conduct business, and we recognise them as important players in the economic life of the country,” Mr. McKenzie said. Speaking...

A task force is being set up to facilitate a national clean-up programme for the country. The task force, which will be seeking to restore public order in the society, will be headed by Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, and will include other Ministers of Government. “I am going to extend an invitation to a...

Six thousand young people were engaged in 2021, under the Youth Summer Employment Programme. They were deployed across the country to assist in implementing the COVID-19 support programme, under the guidance of the Social Development Commission (SDC) and the municipal corporations. This was in addition to their work in collecting data about street lights, traders, car marts, garages, building construction,...

Citizens are again being assured that their personal information will be safe under the National Identification System (NIDS). This assurance comes from Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, who said that the Government is taking every step to comply with international standards and best practices for data security and privacy. “The Government has...

The first National Identification System (NIDS) pilot enrolment site is scheduled to be established in Kingston and St. Andrew by August 2022. Being implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister, NIDS is intended to provide a comprehensive and secure structure to enable the collection and storage of identity information. Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister,...

Approximately 700 visitors are expected to be in Jamaica for next month’s staging of the World Free Zones Organization (World FZO) Eighth Annual International Conference and Exhibition (AICE). The four-day event, which is being held in the Caribbean for the first time, will take place from June 13 to 17 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James. The conference...

To facilitate ease of trade, inspection matrices and protocols have been finalised to improve efficiency in the physical inspection of commodities at the borders by Border Regulatory Agencies (BRAs), says State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn. He points out that the Veterinary Services Division (VSD), Food Storage and Prevention of Infestation...