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The Office of the Prime Minister played an integral role in international relations in 2005, forging closer ties between Jamaica and its neighbours and trading partners through a number of agreements as well as major summits and meetings across the globe. JAMAICA/CHINA AGREEMENTS Ties between Jamaica and China increased during 2005 with the signing of four bi-lateral Agreements between both...

As Jamaica and the rest of the region prepares to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, Prime Minister Patterson in January broke ground for the upgrading of Sabina Park in Kingston. At that time, he described the government's decision to partner in the renovation and expansion of the Sabina Park cricket ground as a necessary and timely investment in...

The signing of an energy agreement between Jamaica and Venezuela under the Venezuelan PetroCaribe Initiative was without doubt, one of the major highlights of 2005 for the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). Among other things, the co-operation agreement included the supply of 21,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the Petrojam refinery on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston....

The Office of the Prime Minister continued to place great emphasis on the construction of Highway 2000 in 2005, one highlight of which was new developments emerging over the construction of the Portmore leg of the Highway. After viewing a presentation from the operators of Highway 2000, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson charged a team, comprising the National Road Operating and...

Prime Minister P. J. Patterson continued lobbying efforts on behalf of Jamaica and the rest of the developing world last year, with the highlight of his activities being his attendance at the Heads of Government Commonwealth Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta in November. The Prime Minister, who spoke on matters relating to non-market access, tariff reductions and technical barriers to trade,...

2005 was a difficult year for us as a nation. Before we were able to recover from the ravages of Hurricane Ivan in October 2004, we were hit with Dennis and Emily in July. Many families have not been able to put their lives back together, some having lost their homes, others their source of livelihood. Much of our infrastructure...

The Christmas Season has just past and our hearts are still warm from the family reunions and many expressions of love and kindness. The dawning of 2006 brings with it new prospects for growth and new opportunities which will demand that we take careful note of our achievements and strive to strengthen our weakest links.Every country has its own set...

This is the fourteenth successive year in which I have enjoyed the privilege of delivering a New Year's Message to the people of Jamaica as Prime Minister of our beloved country. This will be my last such occasion. The start of a New Year is always a time to review what we have achieved individually and nationally, as we look...

Minister of Agriculture, Roger Clarke, is urging sugar cane farmers and factory estates to increase production, for the survival of the industry. Speaking at the recently held All Island Cane Farmers Association Annual General Meeting at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, Minister Clarke emphasized that in order to survive, the industry has to double production. "If we are doing 40,000 (tonnes),...

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC) Limited, Dr. Hopeton Dunn has announced the appointment of Mrs. Angela Patterson as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CPTC. Mrs. Patterson is a former General Manager of CVM Television (2000 - 2003) with a long standing career in media and information technology...

The Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) is slated to commence operations during the first quarter of the next financial year. The company will be operating from 5 South Odeon Avenue, the former office of the now defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC). Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, Minister of Information, Senator Burchell Whiteman, said that early in the...

Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, Phillip Paulwell has mandated the Petrojam refinery in Kingston to conduct a pilot project in 2006 to determine the performance of a cross section of motor vehicles with the ethanol blend. "Ethanol, an oxygenate, blended with gasoline in a mixture of 10 per cent ethanol to 90 per cent gasoline, is an octane enhancer...