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A total of US$1.2 billion in concessional financing has been provided to Jamaica in the form of long-term loans, based on oil purchases from Venezuela under the PetroCaribe Energy Co-operation Agreement. The multifaceted arrangement, which commenced in 2005, seeks to promote energy security in the region, by guaranteeing supplies of petroleum products from Venezuela through an innovative repayment system, which...

The Ministry of Energy and Mining is to collaborate with the Organization of American States (OAS) to negotiate technical support, in the area of capacity building in Jamaica's energy policy. This was noted by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Hillary Alexander, at the two-day Renewable Energy Meeting and site visits for Energy Ministers and other senior government officials from...

Programme Manager of the Planning Institute of Jamaica's (PIOJ) Plan Development Unit, Richard Lumsden, is reporting significant improvements in the four key focus areas pivotal to advancing the country's National Development Plan - Vision 2030. He cited the areas as: empowering persons to achieve their full potential; making the society secure, cohesive and just; making the Jamaican economy prosperous; and...

Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Gladstone Hutchinson has added his voice for an efficient, high quality public sector for good governance, and economic advancement. Speaking at the 17th annual public lecture, hosted by the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) at its old Hope Road campus, on August 19, he asserted that a public sector...

Public sector workers and unions must appreciate their role in the country's delicate fiscal situation, as wage demands that push inflation, worsen debt, or compromise the Government's ability to improve the economy, will erode economic and social credibility. This caution was issued by Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Gladstone Hutchinson yesterday (Aug. 19) at the...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to stage a two-day National Workshop on Disaster Risk Indicators for Jamaica, from Monday, August 23, to Tuesday, August 24, at its head office in Kingston. According to the Director of Sustainable Development & Regional Planning at the PIOJ, Claire Bernard, the workshop is geared to...

Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Gladstone Hutchinson says the Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan incorporates many steps, to ensure that it is a viable option for the country. "It incorporates lessons learned from the errors of previous plans and all the best practices regionally and globally, and is flexible and responsive," the PIOJ Head...

Members of the public and the media are being urged to come out in their numbers for the Management Institute for National Development's (MIND) 17th annual public lecture on Thursday (Aug. 19). The event will be held at the institution's main campus at 253A Old Hope Road, Kingston 6, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Under the theme: 'Vision 2030 National Development...

Two agricultural projects, valued at a total cost of $125 million, were officially launched in St. Mary on July 21, will provide support for displaced banana farmers and revitalise the cocoa industry. The initiatives: Project CARE - Catapulting Agriculture into Rural Enterprise, and the Cocoa Sector Revitalisation Project, are funded by the European Union (EU) Banana Support Programme. Speaking at...

Minister with Responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz, has informed that the Government is focusing on the rollout of a broadband backbone in the short-term, which will ensure adequate connectivity throughout the island. The move, he said, is in keeping with the Vision 2030 National Development Plan, which designates information and communications technology (ICT) as a...

The Government will be strengthening economic diplomacy, in order to help steer the country out of the grip of the global financial crisis and lay a solid foundation for future progress, says Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh. "Recent events compel us to redouble our efforts to find that path to sustainable development that can...

Jamaicans have been urged to give their full co-operation to the 2011 census exercise, when it begins April 5, by Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Dr. Heather Ricketts. "Our call is for every resident in Jamaica to treat the census-taking exercise with respect and seriousness. Let us...