Cabinet began a special three day meeting at Jamaica House today. The Prime Minister outlined the Administration’s focus on growth, development and job creation. She emphasized that in order to achieve this over the medium term it is vital that we reduce the burden of the national debt. The Prime Minister said it was necessary to secure an agreement with...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller on Wednesday (January 9) challenged the country’s community colleges to change their role to better serve the nation. Speaking at the 17th staging of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCJ) Conference 2013 in St. Ann, the Prime Minister said community colleges must reinvent themselves to remain relevant to students, local industry and the...

The Government provided some 385 houses for sugar workers in various sections of the island in 2012. This was disclosed by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, during a national broadcast on Sunday (January 6) in which she highlighted the achievements of her administration’s first year in office. The houses were constructed in Westmoreland; St. Thomas; Trelawny; and...

BROADCAST TO THE NATION BY PRIME MINISTER, THE MOST HON. PORTIA SIMPSON MILLER SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2013 THEME: LET'S UNITE AND BUILD [Watch this National Broadcast Online] My fellow Jamaicans: A year ago my administration assumed office, propelled by the hopes and aspirations of a nation that wanted a new type of governance characterized by humility, honesty, inclusiveness, respect and...

My fellow Jamaicans and Friends of Jamaica, We begin each year with the joys, burden, sorrow, or triumph of the past year still etched in our minds. That past and the way it influences us will determine how we live in the ensuing year. The questions before each of us are, how well have we learned the lessons of the...

Jamaicans All: Celebrating the advent of a New Year always reminds me of the wonder of a glorious Jamaican sunrise. As the golden sun peeks over the majestic Blue Mountains, it seems to gently push away the night-sky. Rays of hope and promise nudge through a soft and reflective crimson sky.  The dazzling light and vibrant energy of that sunshine...

My fellow Jamaicans: The year 2012 has come to a close. It is timely therefore that we reflect on its passing. Undoubtedly we will do so with mixed emotions.  At times our spirits fell to abysmal lows such as at the gruesome murders and physical abuse of our women. We experienced dissappointing economic decline, deterioration in our net international reserves...

On assuming office, one of the most urgent priorities of this Administration was to reopen the line of communication with the IMF and negotiate a new agreement that would satisfy the interest of Jamaica's economic recovery as well as the board of the IMF. At the outset, my stated objective was to bring these negotiations to a satisfactory conclusion by...

My fellow Jamaicans, On the first Christmas morning, the angels sang: "Peace on earth and goodwill towards humankind." I greet you warmly and ask that we seek to recapture and renew that sense of  peace and goodwill to all those with whom we interact today and throughout this holiday season. There is something truly special about the Christmas Season. No...

There is no other time of year that encapsulates the feeling of joy, love and goodwill like the Christmas Season. In Jamaica like the rest of the Christian world we look forward each year to the spirit of generosity, the gathering of family and the usual festivities to mark the closing of the year. At the heart of Christmas however...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, says a collaborative approach must be taken to design and shape a framework for Unemployment Insurance that is best suited to Jamaican conditions. Mrs. Simpson Miller was addressing the opening session of a two-day Labour Market Forum on: ‘Reforming Jamaica’s Labour Market: Social Protection through Unemployment Insurance’, at the Jamaica Conference Centre,...