The Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) is calling for a mindset change as it relates to land titling, as houses should only be built on certified lots. Since 2012, the HAJ has embarked on a national project to regularise informal land settlements by providing eligible residents with land titles. However, the agency is reporting it is facing challenges, as some...

The Jamaica Stock Exchange’s (JSE) globe-topping performance and success in 2018 is, to a great extent, being attributed to ongoing strengthening and consolidation of the country’s macroeconomic environment. Bloomberg Businessweek, in a January 18 article titled: ‘Welcome to Jamaica, Home of the World’s Best Performing Stock Market’, notes that the value of JSE’s main index [in U.S. Dollars] rose by...

The Government has recorded significant progress under the Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC), since its launch in 2013. The Programme, being spearheaded by the Ministry of Health under a GOJ-European Union (EU) bilateral agreement with funding support of approximately €22 million, aims to combat infant and maternal mortality by improving five focus areas. These are...

The National Water Commission (NWC) will shortly complete and officially commission into service several major water-supply systems as part of its drive to better serve communities across the island. Key among them is the Essex Valley water system in St. Elizabeth for which just under $100 million has been expended over a four-year period. Making the disclosure during an interview...

In 2015, Lorna and Michael Lawrence decided to become foster-parents to a four-year-old boy who was placed in the childcare and protection system. The couple, from Islington, St. Mary, wanted to provide a nurturing home environment for the youngster. They had just returned to the island after living in the United States (US) for some 40 years, where they had...

The Universal Service Fund (USF) will be setting up more Community Access Points (CAP) across the island this year. Director of Projects at the agency, Kwan Wilson, tells JIS News that St. James and Portland are among rural areas being targeted for new sites. He says that the Fund will also be looking at increasing the number of free Wi-Fi...

Associate Professor of Law at Gongza University in the United States (US), Inga Laurent, is praising the Government for the progress made in pushing restorative justice as a means of reducing conflict and maintaining peace in communities. She notes the various initiatives implemented under the Ministry of Justice to build capacity and increase awareness about restorative justice in schools and...

Seven hundred young persons will be provided with the opportunity to participate in the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) Summer Internship Programme in 2019. The initiative is geared at introducing participants to the world of work, and assisting them with professional experience. Applications for the summer are now open, with all application letters and résumés to be summited to tefsummerinternship@gmail.com by...

More communities across the island are benefiting from improved sewerage service, as the Government moves to build, replace or decommission facilities serving these areas. Over the last 12 months, the National Water Commission (NWC) has completed a number of projects aimed at fulfilling this mandate, including the construction and rehabilitation of three waste-water treatment facilities at a cost of $1.62...