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Jamaica could become the business and industrial hub of the Caribbean and the Americas, thanks to the opportunities presented under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), signed recently between CARIFORUM States and the European Union (EU). Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Dr. Ken Baugh, outlined a massive vision of economic growth and development for the island, to be stimulated...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw, said that the Government's economic policies have the objective of growing the economy out of debt and positioning the country on a path to sustained development. The Minister was speaking to a nine-member delegation from Tanzania, including Minister of Energy and Minerals, William Ngeleja, today (Jan. 21) at the Ministry's National...

Senior Director in the Ministry of Justice, Marcia Beverley, has underscored the provisions and benefits to be derived under the Justice Transformation Agenda Programme, which the administration is pursuing for implementation. Addressing the half yearly meeting of the Manchester Lay Magistrates Association at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville on January 15, Mrs. Beverley said the initiative aims to improve...

Cabinet on Monday (Nov. 17), approved the draft Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan and Medium Term Socio-Economic Framework (MTF) 2009-2012. This follows the March 2007 Cabinet directive, that the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), prepare a long-term development plan, which by 2030, would advance the country's strategic objectives to achieve developed country status. Based on a comprehensive vision and...

The Government is preparing a medium-term strategy for public sector labour relations in order to manage wages, sustain and improve the quality of the public workforce, and increase workforce efficiency. Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Senator Don Wehby, during his Sectoral Presentation in the Senate on Friday (Nov. 14), said the new strategy...

Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia Grange, has said that the performance of the athletes in the summer Olympics has renewed international interest in the island. "Jamaica is now centre stage in a number of areas including our tourism, our culture and also in our agricultural products, as foreigners try to discover the source of our success in...

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Dr. Kenneth Baugh, has said that collaboration between Government and the private sector is necessary, to ensure that practical measures are taken, regarding implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Dr. Baugh pointed out that one of the measures is the improvement of "our own Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures and standards, which will...

Several critical agencies were placed under the umbrella of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), with the formation of the new Government in September last year. These include the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ); the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN); the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA); the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF); the National Solid Waste Management Authority...

The National Policy for Persons with Disabilities indicates that negative perception and attitude towards disability, has resulted in the isolation and exclusion of persons with disabilities from the mainstream of society. As a result, they are faced with a number of problems, especially in the areas of education, training, employment, medical care, housing, and recreation. Those with disabilities are amongst...

Acting Assistant Chief Education Officer, Sharon Neil, has described the Centres of Excellence, which have been established in two rural high schools as timely and in keeping with the Education Ministry's thrust, to involve the private sector in education delivery. Speaking recently at the Mile Gully High School in Manchester, she commended the Mutual Building Societies Foundation, for conceptualising and...

The decade-old National Policy for Senior Citizens, is due for revision, and Director of the National Council for Senior Citizens, Beverly Hall Taylor, says the Council is looking forward to the review, to cater to the needs of Jamaican seniors in the 21st century. "The National Policy for Senior Citizens, needs to be revised to fit with the country's 2030...

Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Trade, Dr. Kenneth Baugh, has noted that Jamaica should not only look at the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), but also at positioning itself for trade generally. He also stated that Jamaica should aim to implement all trade arrangements, whether under the World Trade Organisation (WTO), CARICOM, EPA, and with Canada. "The...