Sligoville Benefits From Cooperation Agreement With China

The three-year economic and technical cooperation agreement between the governments of Jamaica and the People’s Republic of China, has redounded to the benefit of residents of the Sligoville in St. Catherine, said Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman.
The cooperation arrangement was initiated in 2003 and is estimated to value US$7.2 million in grant funding and US$2.5 million of loan funding, Senator Whiteman told journalists at yesterday’s (March 6) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
Highlighting a report presented to Cabinet by Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, K.D. Knight, at its sitting last week, Minister Whiteman said that stemming from the joint arrangement, a complex was developed in the community of Sligoville, which included a sports facility, police station and a post office.
Noting that the support also included funding for the construction of a new Foreign Affairs building downtown Kingston, Senator Whiteman said that the Cabinet was “very supportive” of this initiative as it was felt it would assist in the revitalisation of downtown.
He further informed, that government had committed to use funds under the agreement to modernise the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture’s management information system (MIS) and Cabinet had authorised Minister Knight to communicate to the Chinese government, its approval of the use of $6.5 million towards this effort.
The report on the agreement, he added, indicated that the National Water Commission (NWC) was benefiting from $2.5 million worth of pipes and fittings to improve the quality of water supplies across the island.
He noted that the equipment “is already here and there is a further $10 million of loan facility, which will be used by the NWC for future development of the country’s water system. Sligoville will benefit from improved water supply as a result of the provision of Chinese funds for that area,” he said.