The Ceremonial Opening of Parliament on Tuesday (February 14) was executed with the traditional pomp and pageantry of pre-COVID years, mixed with the seriousness of hearing how the Government intends to pursue its policies and executive intentions in 2023/24. Inside Gordon House, Governor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, delivered the Throne Speech outlining these plans. The...

The group of trees and shrubs often found in the coastal intertidal zones, known as Mangroves, are being replenished and protected to strengthen its core function of absorbing Jamaica’s storm surge impacts and preventing soil erosion. This action is being facilitated under the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) Adopt-A-Mangrove Programme. Replanting of 50 Red Mangrove saplings took place on...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, through its Plant Quarantine/Produce Inspection (PQ/PI) Branch, is continually pursuing new ways to improve export efficiency. Since 2020, the Branch has been taking steps to transition its phytosanitary certification process to a paperless format. Speaking during a plant quarantine exporters’ forum at the Ministry’s offices in Kingston on February 14, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel...

National initiatives to reduce road fatalities have been given a fillip through the recently established Jamaica Caribbean (JAMCARIB) Youth Network for Road Safety. A project of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS), the group seeks to engage some 5,000 young people in Jamaica and across the Caribbean in designing, developing, and implementing programmes and projects aimed at promoting road...

The treatment of paediatric patients with respiratory issues at the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital has been bolstered through the donation of three nebulisers by University of Technology (UTech) student, Geri-Ann Miller. The 20-year-old handed over the items during a recent function at the hospital in Westmoreland. Director of Nursing Services at the facility, Hazelynn Forrester, told JIS News that the...

Young farmers and fishers locally are benefiting from support under the Enabling Gender-Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean (EnGenDER) Project, which is intended to bolster their enterprises and combat climate change. The project is designed to address gender-based inequality by ensuring that young men and women working as fisherfolk and farmers can withstand the adverse impacts...

With the support of the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund, the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) continues to improve the education and care provided to young children. Executive Director of the Commission, Karlene Deslandes, notes that partners are instrumental to the development of the early-childhood sector, explaining that since 2006, CHASE has been integral to the funding of...

Motorcyclists and pedestrians will be given special attention by the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) this year, as the entity strengthens initiatives to reduce the high number of road fatalities. Among the measures is a programme to improve helmet wearing by motorcyclists. “We are looking forward to funds that have been allocated to help us to convince motorcycle riders to...

The private sector should see education as the main driver to building stronger communities, says business mogul and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, Sheila Johnson. Ms. Johnson, Co-Founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and recognised as America’s first black female billionaire, says it is within that framework that she is fully on board with Tourism Minister,...