Several business leaders remain optimistic that Jamaica can and will achieve higher levels of macroeconomic stability, fiscal consolidation, and far-reaching sustainable inclusive growth. This, they say, even as the country negotiates the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has impacted the economy since the onset of the local outbreak in March, when the first positive case was confirmed. Their optimism is based...

The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) has embarked on the implementation of a new product, the Innovation Grant Fund, to provide financial support for medium-sized companies looking to introduce or expand innovative processes, products, and/or services. General Manager for Strategic Services at the DBJ, Christopher Brown, tells JIS News that the facility aims to assist entities fulfilling the eligibility criteria...

Stakeholders in Jamaica’s development minerals industry have expressed gratitude for the provision of grants totalling €51,000 (approximately J$9 million) to 12 small-scale artisans and miners, to support their businesses and fund emergency responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The grants were provided under phase two of the African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) Development Minerals Programme, being jointly implemented locally...

As the Government’s business development agency that assists with the creation and growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) offers technical and other services that move a client from one concept all the way up to the market. “So, persons who have an idea to start a business come to us, persons who...

The Social Development Commission (SDC) has been using research, data sharing and community mobilisation to support the Government’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The agency has also been heavily involved in sensitising the public about the risks of the disease and how persons can protect themselves from contracting it. In an interview with JIS News, Executive Director of the...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has lauded local producer of coffee “teabags’” Mountain Bliss Farm and Tours, describing the company’s product as the type of innovation that can further diversify the tourism and export markets. The Minister, who was in the Content Gap area of rural St. Andrew, recently, where the company operates, says the product is “quality made”....

The community of Clifton in St. Catherine has established a farm on more than seven acres of land donated by the Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings Limited (SCJH). Residents of the area, mainly females, are cultivating okra, corn, tomato, lettuce and other crops. They will use earnings from the venture to help young single mothers, train young males, and beautify...

When schools reopen for the new academic year, it will not be business as usual, as school leaders and students will have to adjust to the new normal that the coronavirus (COVID-19) presents. The National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL) is ensuring that school leaders are equipped with the skills and know-how to implement the COVID-19 protocols. Hundreds of school...

Tourism stakeholders are putting the necessary health protocols and other safeguards in place, in preparation for a possible return of cruise ships to the island ports. Chief Executive Officer of Chukka Caribbean Adventures, Marc Melville tells JIS News that the absence of the cruise ships has taken a huge financial toll on many local tourism entities, including those in the...