1 2015 achievementsyear included: growth l average growth ranged between 0.3 and 1.5 per cent for...

Achievements 2015 PAGE – 1

ACHIEVEMENTS

INSIDE

BUILDING A STRONGER JAMAICA:BUILDING A STRONGER JAMAICA:Improving People’s Lives Improving People’s Lives

• Prime Minister Continues to Drive Growth Agenda – 2• Making Jamaica a Safer Country… One Nation, One Mission – 7• Major Investments in Tourism – 11

2015ACHIEVEMENTS

• Protecting the Most Vulnerable – 14• World Leaders Visit – 24• More Persons Accessing ICT – 27

2 Achievements 2015PAGE – 2

A production of the Jamaica Information Service January 31, 2016

Prime Minister Continues to Drive Growth Agenda

The Government, underthe leadership of PrimeMinister, the Most Hon.

Portia Simpson Miller, con-tinued to implement socio-economic programmes andinitiatives in 2015 to grow theeconomy and raise the livingstandard of all Jamaicans.

Jamaica also solidified tieswith important bilateral partners.

Strengthening Tiesl The country hosted several

leaders, including UnitedStates (US) President,Barack Obama; PrimeMinister of the UnitedKingdom (UK), the Rt. Hon.David Cameron; Presidentof the Bolivarian Republicof Venezuela, His Excel-lency Nicolás Maduró, andPrime Minister of Japan,His Excellency Shinzo Abe.

l President Obama andPrime Minister SimpsonMiller, signed a Statementof Intent to pursue energy-related initiatives includingthe Liquefied Natural Gas(LNG) project. This willincrease bilateral trade,boost the development ofemerging technologies andindustries, and pave theway for more innovation.

l Prime Minister Cameronannounced that Jamaicaand other Caribbean islands are to benefitfrom a £300 million grantfrom the United Kingdom(UK). The funds will sup-port infrastructural projectsacross the region in orderto enhance trade.

l Prime Minister Abe ann-ounced that Japan wouldgrant $57 million forimprovements to the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ),including the procurementof audiovisual equipmentand upgrading of exhi-bitions.

l A Memorandum of Under-standing (MoU) was alsosigned to promote educa-tional cooperation bet-ween the University of

the West Indies (UWI) andJapan’s Sophia University.

l The renovated SimónBolívar Cultural Centre,named in honour of theVenezuelan Liberator,was officially opened onSeptember 6 by Mrs.Simpson Miller, andPresident Maduro.

President Maduro was in the island for the 10th Anni- versary Commemorative Summit of the PetroCaribe Agreement. The centre was a gift to Jamaica from the Government and people of Venezuela.

Advocating for Jamaica on the International Stagel The Prime Minister also

held bilateral meetingswith Prime Minister ofSpain, Mariano RajoyBrey; and Prime Minister

of Sweden, Stefan Lofven,during a two-day Summitof Heads of State andGovernments of the European Union (EU) andthe 33 countries of theCommunity of LatinAmerican and CaribbeanStates (CELAC), held inBrussels, Belgium. Themeetings reviewed severalareas of cooperation between Jamaica andthe two EU countries andidentified additional areasof cooperation to be pursued.

l It was announced at theSummit that Jamaica willbenefit substantially fromdevelopment assistancethrough the EuropeanCommission over thenext five years. The Com-mission announced € 346million Euros in fundingfor programmes in theCaribbean up to 2020.

Improving Water Supplyl The Prime Minister, in July,

signed a contract to under-take a $4.9 billion, five-year, Non-Revenue WaterReduction Co-ManagementProject in Kingston and St. Andrew, aimed at reducingwater loss in the Corpo-rate Area due to leaksand theft.

This will save the National Water Commission billions of dollars in lost revenue as well as improve water supply to residents.

l Also in July, the PrimeMinister broke ground forthe start of the rehabilitationof the $75 million GoldmineWater Supply System, inSt. Catherine. This willbenefit more than 5,000residents of Bellas Gateand surrounding commu-nities.

Improving Health Facilityl In February, Mrs. Simpson

Miller broke ground for the$42 million renovation ofthe Hagley Park HealthCentre.

Upgrading Island’s RoadInfrastructurel In July, the Prime Minister

signed a $15.2 million con-tract for the construction ofa box culvert bridge in theWest Central St. Catherinefarming community ofWood Hall. The const-ruction of the box culvertwas the fulfillment of apromise to replace theexisting structure, whichwas severely damaged.

Providing Clean, Affordable,Renewable Energyl More than 20,000 Jam-

aican homes are expectedto be powered by clean,affordable, renewableenergy to be generatedfrom the US$61 millionsolar electricity plant beingbuilt in Content District,Clarendon. In July thePrime Minister brokeground for the 20-mega-watt plant, the largest ofits kind in the Caribbean.It will replace approxi-mately three million gallons of fossil fuel peryear.

Enhancing Educationl In November, the Prime

Minister signed contractsvalued at $64 million forexpansion and rehabilitationof the Mandeville Primaryand Junior High Schoolin Central Manchester.

l The educational status of77 persons from thecommunity of MajestyGardens, in South WestSt. Andrew, has been improved. They success-fully completed variouslevels of the JamaicanFoundation for Life longLearning (JFLL) HighSchool Diploma Equiva-lency (HSDE) programme.

Cont’d on page 3

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (right) addressing journalists followingthe bilateral meeting with United States President, Barack Obama, at Jamaica House in April. Bothleaders had wide ranging discussions on key issues of mutual interest, including national security,climate change, and energy. The meeting formed part of activities for the two-day visit to Jam-aica by President Obama, from April 8 to 9, which included Caribbean Community (CARICOM)Heads of State and Government.


This was deliveredthrough the $15 millionMajesty Gardens Com-munity Development Education Programme,which is an initiative ofthe Prime Minister, who isthe Member of Parliament.

l In September, the PrimeMinister officially openedthe Fidel Castro Campus ofthe Anchovy High School located in Montpelier, St.James. The facility willserve as the secondcampus of the AnchovyHigh School, and will accommodate approxi-mately 900 students fromgrades seven to eight.

l Mrs. Simpson Miller alsobroke ground for theconstruction of eight newclassrooms at the Bala-clava High School in St.Elizabeth. On completion,the school will be renamedthe Roger Clarke HighSchool, in honour of thelate Minister of Agricultureand former Member ofParliament for North EastSt. Elizabeth.

l In November, the PrimeMinister launched theHEART Trust/NationalTraining Agency (HEART/NTA) mobile services pro-

gramme in St. Thomas. Itis designed to bringtechnical and vocationaltraining for residents inrural communities.

l The Prime Minister offi-cially opened a new, $25million classroom block,at the McIntosh MemorialPrimary School in Man-chester in on November.The new block will pro-vide eight extra class-rooms. The new class-rooms are now added tothe 700 classroom spacesprovided at the primarylevel in that region duringthe course of the year.Since January, more than2,000 additional class-room spaces have beenprovided at high schoolsin Manchester and StElizabeth at a cost of$347 million.

l Four upgraded basicschools in South Trelawnywere handed over to theMinistry of Education.The projects represent atotal investment of $102million and have resultedin expansion of earlychildhood spaces in South Trelawny, as wellas improvements inamenities and facilities to

aid the teaching andlearning processes.

JSIF Continues to EnhanceLivesl The Government invested

$29.7 million in a seriesof summer camps orga-nised by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund(JSIF), targeted at low income youth in 18 com-munities across sevenparishes. Mrs. SimpsonMiller signed contractsfor the 24 camps in July.Some of the areas cov-ered included vocationalskills training; youth inagriculture; math, science,technology and engineering;remedial education; envi-ronmental management;and sexual reproductivehealth and family life education.

l JSIF signed contractswith two internationalagencies for the devel-opment of marketing andcommunication strategiesfor eight community-based tourism projects,under the Rural Eco-nomic Development

Initiative (REDI). JSIF hasinvested over $150 millionin the development ofthese projects.

Sewerage Conveyance Systeml The Urban Development

Corporation signed a con-tract for the developmentof a $624 million sewerageconveyance system forthe Caymanas Estateproperty in St. Catherine.The system comprises7.4 kilometres of forcemain and two lift stationsto convey sewage to theSoapberry Waste waterTreatment Plant.

Local Economic Development Support Programme Launchedl The Prime Minister

launched the Local Eco-nomic Development Sup-port Programme (LEDSP)of the Social DevelopmentCommission (SDC) duringthe year. Under the LEDSP,the promotion of the micro,small and medium-sizeenterprise (MSME) sectorwill be given priority.

Launch of National ExportStrategy, Phase IIl Mrs. Simpson Miller, in

August, launched PhaseTwo of the National Export Strategy (NES II),which is aimed at increasingJamaican exports in theglobal marketplace. TheNES II covers 2015 to2019 and is intended tospur export-led growthby implementing targetedinitiatives with measurableoutcomes. This is to beachieved by advancingthe competitiveness offirms and sectors, whileenhancing the environmentfor business and trade.

Wage Agreements Signedl Over 97 per cent of public

servants agreed to aseven per cent increasein salaries for the contractperiod 2015/17 with afour per cent increase inthe first year and the remaining three per centin year two. The PrimeMinister signed severalHeads of Agreement withpublic sector workers.

PM Continues to Drive Growth… cont’d from page 2

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (standing)looks on as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), the Rt. Hon.David Cameron, signs the guestbook at Office of the Prime Min-ister in Kingston prior to the holding of bilateral discussions. Mr.Cameron visited Jamaica in September for a two-day official visit.

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (3rd left), along with the Cuban Ambassadorto Jamaica, His Excellency Bernardo Guanche Hernandez (right), unveils a plaque in honour ofthe former Cuban President, Fidel Castro, after whom the Anchovy High School second cam-pus at Montpelier is named. The facility was built by the Cuban Government as a gift toJamaica. Looking on from left are: Member of Parliament for South St. James and Agricultureand Fisheries Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, and Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites.The institution was officially opened on Friday, September 11.


Lowest Inflation, More Employment, and Economic Success

Jamaica continues to ben-efit significantly from thesteady implementation of

the Economic Reform Pro-gramme (ERP). The four-yearExtended Fund Facility (EFF)with the International Mone-tary Fund (IMF) forms part ofthe Government’s ERP. Sinceits start in 2013, Jamaica hassuccessfully completed 10 quar-terly reviews and accessed 11drawdowns totalling US$704.5million.

Notable gains throughout theyear included:

Growthl Average growth ranged

between 0.3 and 1.5 percent for the first threequarters of the year2015/16. The PlanningInstitute of Jamaica (PIOJ)forecasts further growthranging between 0.5 and1.5 per cent for the Octoberto December quarter,based on positive resultsin tourism, Business Pro-cess Outsourcing (BPO),agriculture, and manufac-turing. The World Bank recently projected growthof 2.1 per cent for 2016.

Employment Upl The number of persons

employed increased to aseven-year high of onemillion, one hundred andforty-seven thousand,five hundred (1,147,500)at the end of July. This is anincrease of twenty-threethousand, two hundred(23,200) persons over thesame period in 2014. TheStatistical Institute of Jam-aica (STATIN) reportedthat the unemploymentrate for July 2015 was 13.1per cent, down from 15.54per cent in July 2013.

Low Inflation l Up to October 2015, the

inflation rate was 2.9 percent – the lowest in almost 50 years.

Net International Reserves(NIR)l The Net International

Reserves stood at US$2.91billion at the end 2015.This can purchase sixmonths (23 weeks) of imported goods and

services in the event of amajor drought, hurricane,or any other emergencyaffecting the island.

Debt to GDP Moving in the Right Direction l The debt to Gross Dom-

estic Product (GDP) ratiohas been reduced by 20per cent since the startof the Economic ReformProgramme (ERP). It iscurrently at 126 per centof GDP, with a projectionfor further lowering to 120per cent by the end ofthe 2015/16 fiscal year.

l During 2015, the Govern-ment successfully raisedUS$2 billion through theissue of two bonds onthe international capitalmarkets. This is the high-est ever raised by Jamaicaand, importantly at thelowest interest rate. Thishas also has been declaredthe Bond Issue of theYear (Latin America) by therenowned InternationalFinancial Review (IFR).

Part of the proceeds from the bond issue facilitated the PetroCaribe debt buy- back, which immediately reduced the debt to GDP ratio by 10 per cent.

Investor Confidence HasReturnedl The Jamaican Stock

Exchange (JSE) was laudedby Bloomberg for being

one of the best performingstock markets for 2015.Stronger investor safe-guards and a reboundingeconomy helped the JSEsurge more than 80 percent in 2015.

l Local and foreign investorspoured substantial sumsof money into localstocks last year.

l Foreign Direct Investmenthas doubled in the lastthree fiscal years (2011/12 –2014/15), from US$303.4million to US$628 million.

l Local consumer andbusiness confidence hasimproved since the startof the ERP. In addition, therate of credit expansionto the private sector over12 months, ending Sep-tember 2015, increasedby 7.8 per cent. The pro-ductive sector accountedfor most of the credit expansion.

Multilateral Supportl Confidence in the Eco-

nomic Reform Programmeremains strong among

multilateral institutions,which provided significantloan and grant fundingsupport during 2015.

l Based on the Government’sperformance, the Inter-national Monetary Fund(IMF) agreed to lower thePrimary Surplus target by0.5 per cent of GDP. Thismeans that the Adminis-tration has an additional$4 billion for 2015/16 anda further $8 billion in2016/17, to spend oncapital developmentprojects which facilitategrowth in the economy.

The Government Supports MSMEsl Through the Development

Bank of Jamaica (DBJ),the Government provided$4 billion in loan financing toMicro, Small and Medium-size Enterprises (MSMEs)(2014/15 – J$4 billion). Inaddition, technical assis-tance was provided tostrengthen these entities,as well as enhance theiraccess to financingthrough the following:

– Voucher for Technical Assistance – Credit Enhancement Facility

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips (left), signs a copy of the grant agreementfor the provision of £1.9 million ($350 million) for the implementation of the Government’s StrategicPublic Transformation Project. Looking on are: then Acting Country Representative, World Bank,Kathy Lalazarian; and British High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency David Fitton.

Cont’d on page 5

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (2nd right) looks on as Finance and PlanningMinister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, exchanges signed copies of agreements formalising the Euro-pean Union’s (EU) provision of €17.7 million ($2.3 billion) budgetary funding support for the Gov-ernment, with the EU’s Director for Cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean, JolitaButkeviciene. At left is Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon Derrick Kellier.


– Innovation Grant from New Ideas to Entrepre- neurship (IGNITE) – Venture Capital Programme

Enhancing the Budget Processl For the first time in Jam-

aica’s history, the Estimatesof Expenditure and theRevenue Estimates weretabled at the same timein the House of Repre-sentatives. This will allowfor better planning, projectexecution, and manage-ment of the country’s resources.

Improved Procurement Processl During 2015, new legislation

was passed to improvethe procurement processfor Government goodsand services. Jamaica’sfirst Electronic ProcurementPlatform was introducedand will reduce adminis-trative costs, processingtime, and increase effi-ciency and transparency.

Revenue AdministrationInformation System (RAiS)l Tax Administration Jam-

aica (TAJ) is making iteasier for taxpayers tofile returns with the intro-

duction of the RevenueAdministration InformationSystem (RAiS). The sys-tem facilitates online Taxpayer RegistrationNumber (TRN) and TaxCompliance Certificate(TCC) registration.

ASYCUDAl The Jamaica Customs

Agency (JCA) has expan-ded its use of the Auto-mated System for CustomsData (ASYCUDA), a web-based application forprocessing imports andexports. ASYCUDA facili-tates electronic processingof transit, transshipment,private and public bondedwarehousing declarationsfor commercial and non-commercial imports atselect facilities, includingthe Port of Kingston. Thiswill yield significant savingsand improve service delivery.

Revenue Appeals Divisionl Aggrieved taxpayers can

now avoid lengthy courtsessions by having theirdisputes over tax assess-ments quickly resolved atthe newly establishedRevenue Appeals Division(RAD).

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips (left),and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Country Repre-sentative for Jamaica, Therese Turner-Jones, sign copies of the$1.97 billion (US$17 million) IDB Adaptation Programme andFinancing Mechanism for the Pilot Programme for Climate Changeagreement, at the Ministry in Kingston.

Lowest Inflation… cont’d from page 4

Prime Minister the Most Hon. PortiaSimpson Miller attends the SeventhSummit of the Americas held inPanama City, Panama, in April.

Prime Minister the Most Hon.Portia Simpson Miller (2nd left)participates in breaking groundto symbolise the start of a $75 million rehabilitation projectfor the Goldmine Water SupplySystem in St. Catherine. Also par-ticipating (from left) are: Memberof Parliament for West Central St. Catherine, Dr. Kenneth Baugh;Minister of Water, Land, Environ-ment and Climate Change,Hon. Robert Pickersgill; andMayor of Spanish Town, CouncillorNorman Scott. Also pictured in the background (3rd left) isChairman of the National WaterCommission, Prakash Vaswani.The event took place at theBellas Gate Primary School.

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia SimpsonMiller (left) and Japan Prime Minister, HisExcellency Mr. Shinzo Abe, sign an agree-ment at the Office of the Prime Minister inSt. Andrew in September. Prime MinisterAbe was on a two-day visit to the island.

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia

Simpson Miller presentsa certificate of title toCleveland Williams at

the launch of the National Land Titling

Programme and Certificates of Title atChrist the RedeemerChurch in Seaview

Gardens on August 12.


The Government last year,2015, saw major develop-ments in the information

and gender portfolio with thelaunch of the first ever Gov-ernment Communication Policy;implementation of a digitisationproject to preserve the country’simportant audiovisual history,the Sexual Harassment Billtabled in Parliament in Dec-ember and several initiativesto promote gender equality,gender mainstreaming andcombat gender-based violence.

GoJ Communication PolicyThe first ever Government Com-munication Policy which pro-vides a comprehensive frame-work for developing a well-managed and coordinatedGovernment communicationmachinery is now being imple-mented across Ministries, Dep-artments and Agencies (MDAs)

The Policy details specific stra-tegies to be pursued by MDAsin creating a modern, responsivesystem, including increasedcitizen engagement, wideraccessibility of Governmentinformation, greater use ofsocial media, and better coor-dination in communicationwithin and between MDAs.

It provides the bases for:-

l Effective dissemination ofofficial information andmeaningful engagementwith the people of Jamaica;

l Encouraging continuousimprovement in relationswith the media, and theestablishment of ongoingconsultation mechanismswith citizens.

Sexual Harassment Bill/ Gender based ViolenceIn December, the Prime Ministertabled the Sexual HarassmentBill in the Lower House of Par-liament. When passed into lawit will provide a framework forclearly identifying what consti-tutes sexual harassment, thepersons by and against whomit may be committed, and theactions that may be takenagainst the offenders.

A Revised National StrategicAction Plan on EliminatingGender-based Violence (GBV)was completed. The revisedplan includes a monitoring and

evaluation framework to ensurethat the various aspects ofthe plan are implemented andachieving the targets set.

l 222 civil servants weresensitised on Sexual Har-assment and trained onhow to develop a SexualHarassment workplacepolicy

l 2,290 members of variouscommunities across theisland were sensitized ongender-based violencewith special emphasis onTrafficking in Persons

l 173 professionals in the Jus-tice System were sensitisedon gender-based violence

l A three-month social mediacampaign providing a plat-form for awareness, advo-cacy and collaboration ongender-based violence wasconducted by the Bureauof Womens Affairs and otherpartners. It also providedguidance on developingand implementing pro-grammes and strategiesto address the incidenceof violence, especiallyagainst women and girls.

The Shelter Strategyl The first ever shelter strategy

for battered women is beingdeveloped. It contemplatesthe construction or acqui-sition of four shelters acrossthe island in the first ins-tance. The shelters will pro-vide temporary and safeaccommodation for

victims of domestic vio-lence. One (1) site visit wasconducted by OPM andWoman Inc. during thethird quarter.

Gender Mainstreaming & Empowermentl To better serve the educa-

tional needs of adolescentmothers, the Women Centreof Jamaica Foundationlaunched the virtual Carib-bean Secondary EducationCertificate (CSEC) Pro-gramme, allowing adoles-cent mothers in rural com-munities the opportunity toattend CSEC classes bydistant learning. The CSECclasses are delivered fromthe Kingston Centre to therural sites each day.

l A new facility for adolescentmothers – the Denbigh

Outreach, was completedand opened to serve youthmothers in Clarendon.Property was acquired forbuilding a similar facility inSanta Cruz, St. Elizabeth

Digital Archival Systeml A $23 million (US$200,000)

state-of-the-art DigitalArchival System has beenacquired to convert currentanalogue images, soundand video recordings to adigital format. This will allowfor greater preservation,easier access and retrievalof use of images and audio-visual works owned by thePublic Broadcasting Com-mission of Jamaica (PBCJ),the Jamaica InformationService (JIS) the CPTC,the Jamaica Archives andRecords Department (JARD)and the Institute of Jamaica.The system is a gift fromthe Government of theRepublic of South Koreawhich honoured a requestfrom Minister Sandrea Fal-coner during a visit in 2012.It is the first of its kind in theEnglish-speaking-Caribbean.

YIR – Broadcasting CommissionThe Broadcasting Commissioncarried out an extensive medialiteracy exercise. This includedmultimedia campaigns to pro-mote responsible and super-vised use of media by childrenand the provision of informationto television audiences on theprocess of copyright clearancefor programmes on cablechannels and local television.

The campaigns complementedpresentations at schools acrossthe country on the opportunitiesand challenges in the digital age.

The Commission also embarkedon a programme to promotecopyright compliance by cable,television and radio stationoperators. This includes thephased removal of unauthorisedchannels.

Steps have also been taken toimprove the Commission's cap-acity with the acquisition of abuilding at 9 Central Avenue tohouse its permanent head-quarters.

The new facility will allow theBCJ to better serve its stake-holders and fulfil its mandateof monitoring an increasinglydynamic and expanded broad-casting and digital landscape.

l Jamaica InformationService Work on the relocation ofthe JIS Television Depart-ment to premises at 5-9South Odeon Avenue hasstarted. This is the first steptowards creating a NationalMedia Centre at the prem-ises now occupied by thePublic Broadcasting Com-mission of Jamaica (BCJ).

l Jamaica House PressBriefings in Montego BayInformation Minister, Senatorthe Hon. Sandrea Falconertook the weekly JamaicaHouse Media Briefing towestern Jamaica, hostingthree briefings in MontegoBay and providing membersof the media the oppor-tunity to directly questionMinisters. Press briefingsare normally held at Jamaica House.

l Jamaica in Press FreedomTop 10 Ranking Jamaicamoved up eight placesninth out of 180 countriesin the 2015 World PressFreedom Index. It was thefirst time that Jamaicaachieved a top 10 rankingin Press Freedom. Theworld press freedom surveyis compiled by the globalmedia watchdog, Re-porters Without Borders.

Government Communication Policy and Sexual Harrassment Law

Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon.Sandrea Falconer, accepts a cheque for US$200,000 (J$23 million)from the South Korean Ambassador to Jamaica, Jong SeonLim, at Jamaica House on November 10. The money will be usedto purchase a state-of-the-art Digital Archival System, which will beused to preserve audiovisual data from various public agencies.

Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. SandreaFalconer (right), and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the JamaicaInformation Service (JIS), Donna-Marie Rowe, peruse the Governmentof Jamaica Communication Policy, which was launched in December.


The Ministry of NationalSecurity is fulfilling its man-date for citizen security

and public safety through thework of its 13 Departmentsand Agencies. As it engagesthe trust and partnership of thepublic, the Ministry has achievedsuccess over the past fouryears in passing ground-breaking security legislationand progressively modernisingthe national security forces ina proactive fight against crimeand lawlessness in Jamaica.

The key success drivers havebeen:l The introduction of new

crime-fighting strategies;

l The employing of cutting edge forensic and inves-tigative/detection tech-nologies;

l Greater mobility for nationalsecurity through the acqui-sition of motor vehicles,maritime vessels, equipment and machinery;

l Engagement of the citi-zenry through imaginative behavioural change com-munications to create partnership with national security institutions.

Reinforcing a Culture of Lawfulnessl In 2015, the police arrested

700 persons for murder,and the Criminal Investi-gation Branch achieved a55% clear-up rate in mur-ders.

l There was positive publicresponse to the Get theGuns campaign, whichretrieved more than 180 illegal firearms and over2,000 rounds of ammunitionfrom the streets, whilestemming the entry ofweapons through our borders via the guns-for-drugs trade. The JCF’spartnership with the Haitianauthorities resulted in theinterception of 13 illegalfirearms that were des-tined for Jamaica, andseized 2,500 pounds ofmarijuana in 2015.

l The response by the policeto rampant praedial larcenyresulted in the recovery ofmore than 205 stolen

animals and an overall14% reduction in praediallarceny.

Parentingl The Ministry continued its

focus on parenting throughits Unite for Change initia-tive. Parents were encour-aged to take ownership oftheir situation, find solu-tions and work together tostop violence.

The Fight Against Organised Crime and Lottery Scammingl a. Under the One Nation,

One Mission banner, the Anti-Lottery Scam- ming public education programme was staged in St. James, Trelawny, Hanover and West- moreland to sensitise young people about the dangers of scamming. The Major Organised Crime and Anti- Corruption Agency, MOCA, also continued its public education campaign, sensitising students in Western Jamaica. More than 250 persons have been arrested, there were convictions locally and overseas and billions of dollars in assets seized.

b. The merger of the Orga- nised Crime Investigation Division (OCID) and Flying Squad created the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Inves-

tigation Branch (C-TOC), as the Government increased its focus on terrorist organisations by targeting their networks and ill-gotten gains.

Fighting Human Trafficking l Jamaica recorded its first

conviction for human traf-ficking under the Traffickingin Persons (Prevention,Suppression and Punish-ment) (Amendment) Act2013. The legislation pro-vides harsher penaltiesand expands the list of offences.

l Children’s Advocate, Dia-hann Gordon Harrison,was appointed as the is-land’s first National Rap-

porteur on Trafficking inPersons.

l A Trafficking in Persons(TIP) curriculum was implemented in schools inSeptember to build knowl-edge and awarenessamong students fromgrades six to nine. Thecurriculum module seeksto create increased sensi-tivity among students andteachers about TIP as atransnational crime.

l Representatives from theJamaica Defence Force(JDF) Coast Guard; Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit,C-TOC Branch; Passport,Immigration and Citizen-ship Agency (PICA); andJamaica Customs Agency(JCA) were among the 90%of all frontline personneltrained in Upholding HumanRights and Use of Forcepolicies.

Modernisation and TechnologyIn keeping with the Ministry’svision to be the model ofNational Security excellencethrough the employment ofmodern technology, the MNShas embarked on the following:

l The upgrading of the Auto-mated Palm and Finger-print Identification Systemwhich has expanded data-base capacity to facilitatemore timely provision ofpolice records.

l Improvements to the 119emergency system, inclu-ding digital upgrading ofthe analogue radio platform.

l Installation of CCTV cam-eras at strategic locationsislandwide.

l Implementation of the ‘StayAlert’ App which enablespersons to report criminalactivities to the police. Todate, more than 5,000 persons have downloadedthe software application totheir phones.

l Implementation of the e-station diary pilot proj-ect which will enable elec-tronic recording of reports,complaints, and adminis-trative entries at policestations, eventually replacing manual entries.

l The JCF developed a trafficticketing mobile application,which allows traffic officersto access the traffic data-base wirelessly, givingthem immediate access todrivers’ information.

l Improved immigrationprocess through the implementation of Auto-mated Kiosks and moreefficient systems.

l Launch a new Immigration/Customs Landing Card;reducing fields from 27 to15, making the form moreuser-friendly.

l Deployed four self-sufficientPortable Police Posts inat-risk communities during periods of unrest.

l The Passport, Immigrationand Citizenship Agency(PICA) introduced a US$1.38million facial recognitionsystem (FRS), to betterprotect the identities ofpersons applying for pass-ports. Delivery of sameday passport service hascommenced and 39 immi-gration officers weretrained and deployed totake up duties at the twomajor airports.

Legislative Achievementsl The Criminal Justice (Sup-

pression of Criminal Orga-nisations) 2014 Act(Anti-Gang)

Making Jamaica a Safer Country… One Nation, One Mission

Minister of National Security, Hon. Peter Bunting (left), handsover a pair of keys to Commissioner of Police, Dr. CarlWilliams, during a ceremony at the Commissioner’s Office inKingston. A total of 60 motorcycles were handed over. Of thetotal, 10 will be assigned to the Traffic Division while the otherswill be deployed for operational purposes across the island.

Cont’d on page 8

Minister of National Security, Hon. Peter Bunting (left), helpsto cut the ribbon to officially open the new Fellowship HallPolice Post in Hill Run, St. Catherine. Also taking part are Directorof Caribbean Broilers Group (CB), Lori-Ann Lyn (centre), and Headof the Police Area Five, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP),Derrick Knight. The facility was constructed at a cost of $10million.


l Law Reform (FraudulentTransactions) (SpecialProvisions) Act 2013(Anti-Lottery Scam)

l Deoxyribonucleic Acid(DNA) Evidence Act,2015 (Tabled). The DNAEvidence Bill was drafted,tabled in Parliament andpassed by the LowerHouse paving the way forJamaica to set up its National DNA database.

l Amendment to (POCA)(Asset Forfeiture & Cashtransaction limit

l Maritime Drug Trafficking(Suppression) Act 2015

l Evidence Special Measures Act

l Amendment to Traffickingin Persons Act

l Amendment to Expunge-ment Act

l Amendment to DangerousDrugs Act – Decriminalisedthe possession of smallquantities of marijuana,making it a non-arrestableoffence; saving time, reducing overcrowding inlock-ups and reducingcaseloads in RM courts.

l Jamaica and UnitedKingdom (UK) strength-ened co-operation againstthe illicit drug trade througha three-year Memorandumof Understanding (MOU)which will allow for thesharing of informationand the provision ofhuman resources andequipment by the UK toJamaica. It is an updateof an agreement signedsome two years ago.

l The merger of the ForensicLab and the Legal Medi-cine Unit to become theForensic Institute wasapproved by Cabinet inSeptember 2014. Sub-sequently, the Lab under-went an organisationalreview and was given anew organisational struc-ture, to include new man-agement systems that willreflect its vision, missionand mandate.

Partnerships For CitizenSecurityIn the move to reduce crimeand violence and engender a

culture of lawfulness in Jam-aica, a ‘Rule of Law WorkingGroup’ was appointed, com-prising members drawn fromthe Partnership for Jamaica.The group will assist in impro-ving participation and account-ability as well as provide a moreobjective and authoritativeassessment of developments inthe area of crime and violence.

Unite For Change (UFC)l Launched Unite For

Change: A programmeto improve parenting,lawfulness, volunteerism& collective efficacy

l The Ministry has taken apolicy approach to tacklethe causal effects ofcrime as a public healthissue premised on inter-rupting, preventing andchanging social normsthrough (i) crime prev-ention through social development, (ii) situa-tional prevention, (iii) effective policing andjustice processes; and

(iv) reducing reoffending.

l This initiative of the Min-istry has implemented aseries of interventions inviolence-prone commu-nities. One such inter-vention was a public education and behaviourchange programmewhich has built a numberof important stakeholderrelationships withchurches, communities,parents and schools.

l Trained and deployedfifty (50) Violence Inter-rupters in violence-pronecommunities in St. Jamesand Clarendon

Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP)l Now in its third component,

the multifaceted crimeand violence preventioninitiative focuses on buil-ding community safetyand security, poverty reduction and crime pre-vention in 50 volatile and

vulnerable communitiesacross eight parishes.One noteworthy achieve-ment in 2015 was thetraining of 30 youth resi-ding in the CorporateArea youth as stevedoresunder a $10 million part-nership with the ShippingAssociation of Jamaica.

l 100 children from thecommunity of TredegarPark in St. Catherine wereengaged in a three-weekvocational summer camp.

Strategic Policy and Capacity BuildingSignificant investments havebeen made in the technicalcapabilities of the police. In2015, the over 240 new recruitsadded to the JCF were sub-jected to stricter screeningmeasures that included 100%polygraphing technology.Among the achievements were:

l The merger of the JCF andISCF, thereby reducingoperational and adminis-trative costs and increasingefficiency

l Creation of the Major Orga-nised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA)to target both criminalsand their facilitators

l Lowered crime statistics:2014 recorded lowestcrime figure in 11 years

l Renovation and con-struction of buildings

l A new police post valuedat over $10 million wasopened in Hill Run, St.Catherine. The Negril Police Station is beingupgraded at a cost of$25 million and severalpolice posts and stationswere renovated onLabour Day in 2015.

l Work is in progress forthe construction of 14,000square feet of new officespace for JCF’s head-quarters. The new admin-istrative building will con-sist of four floors and willaccommodate up to 70members of staff. It willhouse the Records Reg-istry, and a number ofother functional units.

Strengthening Police Mobility & Maritime Capabilitiesl The JCF’s mobility was

significantly boosted withthe acquisition of 140new motor vehicles, at acost of approximately$350 million. Sixty-threemotorcycles, valued over$58 million, were alsoadded to the JCF’s fleet.These have been deployed to the TrafficDivision and resort areasislandwide.

l Ten 37-foot BostonWhaler boats, valued atUS$1.5 million, were received from the US Bureau of InternationalNarcotics and Law Enforcement. The vesselswill strengthen the JCF’sborder security capability,and regional partnershipsforged by Jamaica to curtail the guns-for-drugstrade.

Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA)l The FLA implemented a

‘Safe Use and HandlingAssessment’ for firearmholders. Approximately625 firearms were destroyed during 2015.

l A Regional Office will beopened in Mandevilleand the Montego BayRegional Office now of-fers the full range of FLAservices.

Prison Modernisation and Rehabilitation of Inmatesl Work has commenced

on a $164 million 304-bed, 2-storey MediumRisk block at theTamarind Farm AdultCorrectional Facility, toease the overcrowding inthe correctional system.

l The Department of Cor-rectional Services hasoverseen the removal ofall children from adultcorrectional facilities withall female wards nowhoused in one location atthe South Camp JuvenileCorrectional/ RemandCentre.

Making Jamaica a Safer Country… cont’d from page 7

Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Antony Anderson(left), who is clad in the Jamaica Defence Force’s (JDF) newDigital Combat Uniform (DCU), symbolically hands over auniform to Warrant Officer Class 1, Anthony Lysight. Occasionwas the official unveiling of the uniform at the JDF Head-quarters, Up Park Camp. The uniform, which replaces theDisrupted Pattern Material (DPM) camouflage, became astandard issue since January.

Boats donated by the United States Government to the JamaicaConstabulary Force (JCF), to assist in the country’s crime-fighting effort. The handover ceremony was held at theCommissioner’s Old Hope Road offices in St. Andrew.


The Ministry of Educationmade significant progressin several areas including:

construction/expansion of schoolplants, increased skills trainingopportunities, ending the shiftsystem in several schools,nutritional support for earlychildhood students and theimplementation of professionaldevelopment initiatives, amongothers.

Infrastructure Developmentl A new $70 million state-

of-the-art infant school was built in the South WestSt. Andrew community ofUnion Gardens.

l Six new classrooms wereconstructed at the AabuthnottGallimore High School inSt. Ann at a cost of $24million.

l Approximately $150 millionwas spent to construct 22 additional classroomsat Hampton High School,in St. Elizabeth; Mount St.Joseph High and Belair High Schools in Man-chester.

l New classrooms wereprovided at BalaclavaHigh and BB Coke HighSchools in Elizabeth, at acost of $156 million.

l Three new classroomswere opened at the DonaldQuarrie High School inEast Rural St. Andrew ata cost of $12 million.

l Vauxhall High School inKingston received fouradditional classrooms.

l A new block with eightclassrooms was built at acost of $25 million at theMcIntosh Memorial PrimarySchool in Manchester.

l A new $20 million buildingwas opened at the ZionHill Primary School inManchester.

l Ground was broken forconstruction of a new12-classroom block atMandeville Primary andJunior High School at acost of $64 million.

l The new Trench TownPolytechnic College wasopened to offer skills andcareer training for youngpeople.

l The Trench Town andCharlie Smith Highschools were merged.

l The former Jamaica Defence Force facility atMontpelier, St. James, isnow the Fidel CastroCampus of the AnchovyHigh School. It now accommodates approxi-mately 900 students ingrades seven and eight.

l Bull Bay All-Age Schoolin St. Andrew received anew infant department.

l Ground was broken forthe construction of the$40 million JamesPatterson Infant Schoolin Dias, Hanover.

Shift System l Twenty primary and high

schools, including Vaux-hall High, were taken offthe shift system in 2015.When schools are re-moved from the shift sys-tem, the children receiveincreased teaching hours.

Student Achievementl The Millennium Develop-

ment Goal of literacy wassurpassed by the gradefour age group. Eighty-seven percent of that agecohort recorded masteryof literacy at grade four.

l The country also achievedsignificant advancementin numeracy at the gradefour level, moving from 49per cent in 2011 to 67 percent in 2015.

l Mathematics passes inthe Caribbean SecondaryEducation Certificate examination increased byseven percentage pointsto 62 per cent. This wasthe third consecutive yearof improvement.

Skills Training and Employmentl In order to prepare young

people for employment,the HEART Trust/NTAstepped up its efforts toprovide Technical Voca-tional Education andTraining (TVET) at the

secondary and post -secondary levels.

l Thirteen new technical and vocational subject areaswere introduced at thesecondary level with all167 high schools acrossJamaica offering at leastone TVET subject in anexternal examination atgrade 11. The MoE spentover $100 million forexam fees last year.

l Over 150 million was spenton the purchase of mate-rials and equipment forschools offering technicaland vocational subjects.

l The HEART Trust/NTAcoached and securedemployment for 3,548certified jobseekers since April 2015.

l The National UnattachedYouth Programme waslaunched to increasecommunity-based trainingopportunities to under-served and unemployedJamaicans. Over a four-month period, the pro-gramme doubled enrol-ment with over 1,155 per-sons trained.

l HEART Trust/NTA, withassistance from the Gov-ernment of Japan andother partners, refurbishedthe Crooked River/BraeHead Skills Training Centrein Clarendon to accom-modate 80 trainees.

l The former Armadale Juvenile CorrectionalCentre in Alexandria, St.Ann, was transformedinto a multifaceted skillstraining centre to accom-modate 125 trainees.

l 622 male and female apprentices were engaged

in training in various dis-ciplines under the Regis-tered ApprenticeshipProgramme (RAP). Amongthe sectors are services,hospitality & tourism, ICT,and construction.

l More than 5,000 studentswere enrolled in the CareerAdvancement Programme,putting them on a pathtowards achieving tertiarylevel education. The pro-gramme was expandedto more than 53 institutionsincluding private and pub-lic tertiary institutions. Thecertification rate increasedfrom less than 10 per centin 2012 to over 50 per centin the NVQJ examinations.

Ministry Modernisationl The Department of School

Services (DSS) was cre-ated to separate the Min-istry’s policy functionsfrom its operational mandate. This facilitatesgreater levels of efficiencyand emphasis on schoolimprovement, which is inkeeping with the ongoingPublic Sector Moder-nisation Programme.

Curriculum Developmentl The National Standard

Curriculum was piloted in49 schools. This has laidthe groundwork for theroll-out of the curriculumto commence in September2016. The new curriculumplaces greater emphasison critical thinking, problemsolving and independentlearning and provides clearstatements of standardsor grade expectations foreach subject.

Early Childhood Sectorl 300 basic schools were

merged to create over 100infant schools of muchhigher quality. 125,000children were providedwith free breakfast andlunch to ensure that theyare able to learn in school.

l Major strides were madeunder the Early ChildhoodRationalisation Programme,which converts basicschools into infant depart-ments. Some $477 millionwas set aside to carryout the programme.

Education Ministry Continues to Provide More Spaces

The newly constructed Zion Hill Primary School, in Bombay,Manchester, which was built at a cost of over $20 million.

Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (left), is assistedby a student of Bois Content Primary School in South WestSt. Catherine, in cutting the ribbon to formally open the newlybuilt flush toilet facility at the school, under the Ministry’s$100 million Primary School Sanitation Project. The initiativeis being jointly implemented with charity organisation, Food forthe Poor, and the Jamaica National (JN) Foundation. Sharing inthe occasion are (from 2nd left): General Manager, JN Foundation,Saffrey Brown; and Chairman, Food for the Poor, Andrew Mahfood;along with students of Bois Content Primary School.


Jamaica Attracted Billions in Investments

Business reforms beingundertaken by the Gov-ernment have facilitated

an investment boom, with thecountry attracting billionsfrom the establishment andexpansion of operations in logis-tics, Business Process Out-sourcing (BPO), and manu-facturing, among others. Theseinvestments are generatingjobs for thousands of Jam-aicans.

Logistics Projectsl More than US$350 million

has been invested in thedevelopment of the SpanishTown Free Zone in St.Catherine, which will gen-erate 2,500 jobs. Theproperty has been expan-ded from eight acres to 42acres, and will accommodaterefining and regenerationof petroleum products;manufacturing of com-posites and insulation material; vehicle assemblyand auto parts re-manu-facturing; distribution andmanufacturing of pharma-ceutical and nutraceuticalproducts; as well as research and manufacturingof tobacco products.

l US$600 million will bespent to facilitate the development of port facilitiesat the Kingston ContainerTerminal (KCT). The workwill be carried out by theworld’s third largest ship-ping line – CMA/CGM.

l Kingston Wharves Limitedhas invested $990 million inthe construction of thetotal logistics facility. Theproject will cost $1.8 billion and employ 300persons.

l Courts/UNICOMER hasinvested US $8 million inthe development of a distribution centre inKingston.

l West Indies Petroleum(WIP) has invested overUS$10 million in the expansion of its bunkeringservices in Kingston.

BPO Investment Projectsl The multibillion-dollar

BPO entity, Sutherland

Global Services, expandedoperations to Mandeville.With the expansion, thecompany, which alreadyhas offices in Kingston,has increased employmentto 3,000.

l Sutherland signed anagreement with the Uni-versity of Technology (UTech)for the establishment of aBPO facility at UTech’sPapine campus. Thearrangement provides opportunities for studentsto work with the companyunder the ‘Earn as YouLearn’ model, which already exists at the Uni-versity of the West Indies(UWI).

l Advanced Call CentreTechnologies (ACCT) andXerox Corporation openedfacilities at the BarnettTech Park in MontegoBay, adding 1,000 jobs.

l A $57 million (US$500,000)BPO Cluster Initiative Incu-bator came on stream,through grant financingunder the Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank’s (IDB)Compete Caribbean Pro-gramme. It will support

the establishment of a callcentre incubator in theMontego Bay Free Zone,which can accommodateactivities for some 200entities.

l 63,000 square feet ofspace was constructed inthe Montego Bay FreeZone, which will provideadditional facility for theexpansion of the BPOsector.

l A five-year National Out-sourcing Strategy waslaunched, which is aimedat growing the BPO sectorby some 18,000 jobs by2020.

l 1.2 million square feet ofBPO space is to be pro-vided at the Naggo HeadTech Park, the CaymanasICT Park, and the BarnettTech Park.

Manufacturing Investmentsl Seprod Limited will invest

$5 billion over two years,starting with a US$3.5million investment inequipment to increase themanufacturing capacity ofSerge Island Dairy Farmby 45 per cent.

l LASCO ManufacturingLimited has invested over$2 billion to upgrade andexpand its White Marlplant. The completion ofthe manufacturing facilityhas seen the employmentof some 300 Jamaicans.

l Red Stripe has investedUS$7.7 million in plant

operational efficiencythrough the installation ofa Combined Heat andPower (CHP) plant toachieve greater energy efficiency and make theplant more competitive.The company also com-mitted to invest US$10million in its Project Growinitiative over five years. Itwill set up a cassava supplychain, as it moves to replace barley imports inbeer production.

l Industrial Chemical Com-pany Limited (ICC) upgra-ded their salt refinery inSpanish Town, St. Catherine,through a US$2-millionloan from the DevelopmentBank of Jamaica (DBJ).

Improved Business Rankings l Jamaica jumped seven

spots to 64th in the WorldBank’s 2016 Doing Busi-ness Report. The countrywas rated among the top10 most improved countriesworldwide in terms of executing business reform.Jamaica also excelled inthe areas of getting creditand starting a business. Itnow takes only three daysto establish a company in

Industry, Investment and Commerce State Minister, Hon.Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams (right), is shown a bag of organiccharcoal by Bamboo Industry Association (BIA) President,Robert Rainford. The occasion was the launch of the BIA at theKnutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston. Looking on (from 2nd

left) are: Director, Special Projects, Bureau of Standards Jamaica(BSJ), Gladstone Rose; President, Small Business Association ofJamaica (SBAJ), Hugh Johnson; and BSJ Chairman, ProfessorWinston Davidson.

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton (3rd right), breaks groundat the site of Toyota Jamaica Limited's new branch at 91a Old Hope Road in St. Andrew.Also participating (from 2nd left) are: General Manager, Toyota Tsusho America, Inc., Hiroshi Kitahara;Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Yasuo Takase; Managing Director of ToyotaJamaica, Tom Connor; and Managing Director of Matalon Homes, Peter Matalon. Lookingon (at left) is Member of Parliament for Eastern St. Andrew, Andre Hylton. The facility whichrepresents a $400 million investment was constructed by Matalon Homes.

Cont’d on page 13


Jamaica’s tourism sectorcontinued to shine in 2015.Arrivals were up, airlift to

the island was the best it hasever been, and the industryattracted significant local andforeign investments.

In addition, the tourism industryplayed a major role in deepeninglinkages with other sectors ofthe economy, earning much-needed foreign exchange andgenerating jobs that benefitpeople and communities acrossthe nation.

Tourism generates some US$2billion in earnings annually,and roughly 180,000 people aredirectly or indirectly employedto the industry.

Visitor Arrivalsl Jamaica recorded a signifi-

cant increase in visitor arrivals, which totalled 3.6million cruise and stop-overs up to the end of November. This was 177,000more visitors than for thesimilar period in 2014 – afive per cent increase.

l On December 22, SangsterInternational Airport saw thehighest number of passen-gers for one day ever. 17,500arriving and departing pas-sengers including 6,000cruise ship transferspassed through that airport.Among the passengerswere 6,000 were cruiseship transfers. Ninety-eightflights were processed, 20of which were long-haul300-seaters from Germanyand the United Kingdom.

Airlift l An additional 60,000 inter-

national airlift seats havebeen secured for the 2015/16Winter Tourist Season,which runs from Decemberto April. Of this number,50,000 originate in theUnited States, with someof the notable carriers including – Frontier Air-ways, American Airlines,and Southwest.

InvestmentsA renewed confidence in BrandJamaica together with theGovernment’s efforts to create

a safe, stable, and nurturingenvironment for investmentsto succeed resulted in anunprecedented wave of invest-ments both by local and foreigninvestors. Since 2012, someJ$64 billion has been investedin new and refurbished prop-erties. 2,500 hotel rooms areunder construction or have justopened. In addition, over thenext decade, some 7,000 newrooms are projected to comeon stream.

l In December, Caribe Hos-pitality (Jamaica) Limitedopened the $2.2 billion(US$25 million) 129-room Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston.

l The 730-room Moon PalaceJamaica Grande Resortand Spa, in Ocho Rios, St.Ann, was officially opened

in November. It was refur-bished at a cost of $23.9billion (US$200 million) bythe Palace Resorts.

l The 518-room Holiday InnResort, formerly Holiday InnSunspree Resort, in RoseHall, St. James, was refur-bished at a cost of $1.79billion (US$15 million) by theInterContinental HotelsGroup.

l The 9,000-square-foot JewelLagoon Water Park offi-cially opened in July at theSagicor-owned Jewel Run-away Bay Beach and GolfResort. This $550 millionattraction is one of thelargest in the Caribbeanand adds another dynamicdimension to the country'stourism product.

l Spanish chain, Meliá HotelsInternational, partneredwith the National InsuranceFund (NIF) to operate theformer Braco Village Resortin Trelawny, under a 15-year lease. The 225-roomhotel, which has been rebranded the Meliá BracoVillage, was refurbished ata cost of $1 billion, and reopened in early January.

l Spanish/Canadian jointventure group, Ocean byH10 Hotels, unveiled plans

for the construction of twofive-star hotels in Trelwany,at a cost of $39.9 billion(US$200 million). The project,which will provide 800 rooms,should be opened by 2018.

l Mexico-based KarismaHotels and Resorts will buildnine hotels over 10 years,at a cost of $109.9 billion.This will add 4,000 roomsto the country’s stock.

Infrastructurel $272.1 million was spent to

install lights along MontegoBay’s 27-kilometre ‘ElegantCorridor’, which runs bet-ween the Sangster Inter-national Airport roundaboutand the Iberostar Hotel inSt. James. The project wasundertaken by the Min-istries of Tourism and Entertainment, and LocalGovernment and Comm-unity Development, with financing from the TourismEnhancement Fund (TEF).

l The TEF has committed$250 million to develop andequip some 16 publicbeaches and to make themmore accessible.

l TPDCo officially opened theMaidstone Museum inNazareth, Manchester in

Major Investments in Tourism

The Courtyard Marriott in New Kingston, which was officiallyopened in December.

Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill (3rd right) is assisted by Man-aging Director, Kevin Hendrickson (5th left), in cutting the ribbon to mark the official reopeningof the rebranded Holiday Inn Resort in Rose Hall, Montego Bay, in April. The hotel wasrefurbished at a cost of US$15 million. Others participating (from left) are: Director, Brand Expe-rience, Holiday Inn Americas, Justin Alexander; Holiday Inn Resort's General Manager, ClarkLobban; wife of the Managing Director, Jackie Hendrickson; Group Director of Marketingand Sales, Holiday Inn Resort, Nicola Madden-Greig; Montego Bay Mayor, Councillor GlendonHarris; and Tourism Director, Paul Pennicook.

Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Hon. Dr. WykehamMcNeill (2nd right), and State Minister, Hon. Damion Crawford(2nd left), greet patrons attending last year’s ‘Arts in the Park’entertainment event at Hope Gardens in Kingston. Cont’d on page 13


The Government continuedits push towards the devel-opment of the country’s

road network, spending billionson construction and rehabili-tation projects.

Road Projectsl Cabinet has approved a

contract to China HarbourEngineering Company Lim-ited (CHEC) for the design,improvement and con-struction of Sections 1Aand 1B of the SouthernCoastal Highway Improve-ment Project. The workswill involve the 43-kilometrestretch from Harbour Viewto Morant Bay at an esti-mated cost of US$385 million.

This is part of the overallsegment from HarbourView to Port Antonio coveringapproximately 65 kilometresof roadway.

l Contracts valued at morethan $1.5 billion weresigned for improvementworks on roads andbridges, under the US$352million Major InfrastructureDevelopment Programme(MIDP).

l The road projects includeMineral Heights to DawkinsPen (through Hayes),Clarendon for $238.4; Riley(Dias) to Glasgow inHanover to be carried outat a cost of $360.7 million;Silver Spring to Santoy, toGreen Island, Westmore-land, $165.5 million; San-toy to Orange Bay for$40.9 million; Fellowshipthrough Windsor and Sea-man's Valley, to Mooretownin Portland for $143.3 mil-lion; and Sheffield to SilverSpring for $41.2 million.

National Works Agencyl Contracts valued at $665.4

million (US$5.53 million)have been signed for re-building of the Kupius Bridgein Penants, Clarendon. Theproject will benefit residentsof several communities inNorth and North CentralClarendon, includingChapelton, Frankfield, Kellits, and Pennants.

l The main road between SourSop Turn and Chapelton inClarendon was improved ata cost of $1.2 billion. Theproject, completed in March,included alignment, realign-ment, widening, and pavingof the roadway; constructionof drains; placement of roadmarkings; and installation oftraffic control devices andsignals.

l Phase two of the eight-kilometre stretch of sharedpathway for bicycle andpedestrian traffic along theNorman Manley Boulevardin Negril was completed.The $145 million project,funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF),included drainage workand the repair of bridges.

l Work has started on the $69million rehabilitation of theHellshire bridge in Portmore.

l $27 million was allocated forthe rehabilitation of theForum Bridge on Port Henderson Road in Portmore.

l Work was completed on theBarbican Way bridge at acost of $12 million.

l A new two-lane bridge isbeing built at Pear Tree Riverin Eastern St. Thomas at acost of $49.5 million.

l A contract worth $83.9 millionwas signed for the rehabili-tation of a 7.4-kilometrestretch of roadway fromMocho to Arcadia in SouthSt. James.

l A $3 million hot mix patchingprogramme was imple-

mented along roadways inWestmoreland, Trelawny,St. James and Hanover.

l Approximately 40,000 squaremetres of patching was com-pleted along 40 road corri-dors in Kingston, St. Andrewand St. Catherine. The areas include Hagley Park Road,Constant Spring Road,Spanish Town Road,Molynes Road, Hope Road,Old Hope Road, and roadsin New Kingston.

l Significant improvementwork, valued $14 million,was carried out on theHoward Cooke Boulevardin Montego Bay, while theOld Porus Road in Man-chester was upgraded at acost of $24 million.

l A $14 million project was undertaken to increase thecapacity of the section ofthe North Gully, which runsthrough the Capital Heightscommunity in Central St.James.

l In partnership with the Uni-versity of the West Indies(UWI), an $8 million man-grove replanting projectwas undertaken along thePalisadoes shoreline inKingston.

l Cable crash barriers were installed along the PalisadoesRoad in Kingston under a$10 million pilot project toenhance the safety of usersof that corridor.

JEEP l Nearly 1,400 projects were

completed under JEEP at acost of just over $2.1 billion. They include: parish councilroads; major infrastructuredevelopment; tourism; ren-ovation of community facil-ities; and the constructionof housing units.

• 360 projects in Kingston and St. Andrew• 184 in St. Catherine • 151 in Clarendon• 18 in Trelawny• 52 in St. Thomas• 121 in St. Ann• 82 in St. Mary• 57 in Portland• 67 in Manchester• 126 in St. Elizabeth• 62 in Westmoreland• 49 in Hanover, and • 68 in St. James

l The Government allocated$159.8 million to parishcouncils and the Kingstonand St. Andrew Corporation(KSAC) for road repairsunder phase four of JEEP.

l $23 million was spent tocomplete projects in threeClarendon communities.The projects are the KellitsSkills Training Centre; Pen-nants Community Centre,post office, and clinic; andthe Lionel Town post office.

l Residents of Gravel Laneand Wisbeach in Clarendon

Billions Spent on Road Construction and Rehabilitation

Transport, Works and Housing Minister, Dr. the Hon. OmarDavies (left), cuts the ribbon to launch the Jamaica UrbanTransit Company’s (JUTC) Kingston City Tours, at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre. Looking on (from 2nd left) are:Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Hon. Dr. WykehamMcNeill; Youth and Culture Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna; Man-aging Director of the JUTC, Colin Campbell, and Mayor ofKingston, Senator Councillor, Dr. Angela Brown Burke.

A section of the newly constructed North-South Highway

Cont’d on page 13


now have access to improvedroadways at a cost of $13.5million. A $10.1 million boxculvert bridge was alsoconstructed in Bigwoods,St. Elizabeth, while WestRoad in Manchester, whichserves residents of Cobblaand adjacent communities,has been rehabilitated at acost of $6.5 million.

l Repairs were carried outalong Golding Avenue inPapine, St. Andrew, underthe Government’s $10.4

million sidewalk rehabilitationproject, to facilitate wheel-chair users and pedestrians.

l Four roadways in EastCentral St. James – Lover’sLane, Dollar Mango, TimberClose and Green Park–were repaired at a cost of$12 million.

JUTCl 27 new buses were added to

the Jamaica Urban TransitCompany’s (JUTC) fleet,bringing the number to 569.

l The JUTC also launched its

Customer Care Centre to improve service delivery toits approximately 240,000clients.

l The Google Transit Tech-nology Application (app), toprovide commuters witheasily accessible informationon bus routes, schedules,and fares, was launched.

l The ‘Prepaid Smarter Card’,which provides commuterswith another cashless andconvenient option to paytheir fares, was launched.

l Kingston City Tour Servicewhich allows Jamaicansand visitors to see and learnmore about Kingston waslaunched. There are fourtours – Reggae, Heritage,Port Royal, and Scenic.

Air Transportl State-of-the-art air traffic

control towers, constructedat a cost of $2.57 billion, werecommissioned into serviceat the island’s two major international airports.

Jamaica, and two interac-tions with Governmentagencies.

l Jamaica is also high-lighted as one of twoCaribbean countries thathave made tax complianceeasier for businesses.

l The 2015-2016 GlobalCompetitiveness Reportcredited Jamaica for improving its proceduresto start a business, rankingthe country third globally,and eighth in the legalrights index.

l Jamaica is also rankedas having the best ForeignDirect Investment (FDI)strategy in the Caribbeanand Central America bythe prestigious FinancialTimes’ FDI Magazine.Jamaica received overUS$628 million in FDIs inthe 2014/15 financialyear.

Support for MSMEsl The Mobile Business

Clinic continues to makeits way across the island,and has provided servicesto almost 2000 entrepre-neurs.

l A Micro, Small andMedium-size Enterprise(MSME) Financing Task-force, with representativesfrom academia and theprivate and public sectors,was developed to exploreviable options for MSMEfinancing.

l The Boards of the Jam-aica Business Develop-ment Corporation (JBDC),Micro-Investment Devel-

opment Agency (MIDA),and Self-Start Fund (SSF)have been merged to increase efficiency andbetter serve MSMEs.

Bamboo Industry l $15 million grant agree-

ment was signed withthe Organization ofAmerican States (OAS)for the development ofthe bamboo processingindustry in Jamaica.

l A 12-month bambooproject was launched inPeckham, North WestClarendon. It includesthe cultivation of 40hectares of bamboo; theconstruction of a factorywith equipment andtechnology to produce arange of by-products;training of residents inbamboo cultivation tech-niques and production.The project has createdemployment for over 80persons.

l The first major supply ofinternationally certifiedorganic bamboo char-coal, totalling 9,600 lb,was shipped to theUnited States.

l The first locally manufac-tured organic bamboo char-coal kiln was developed.

Trade and Export Facilitationl The second phase of the

National Export Strategy(NES) was launched toincrease Jamaica’s exports and improve thecountry’s overall economicperformance.

Jamaica Attracted Billions…cont’d from page 10

Billions Spent on Road… cont’d from page 12

November. The buildinghousing the museum, whichis situated on the premisesof the Nazareth All-AgeSchool, was renovated byTEF at a cost of J$9.73 million. The museum exhi-bits artefacts to presereMaidstone’s history, andpromoting the community’sheritage, while diversifyingits tourism product, as wellas enhancingits economicdevelopment.

l The TEF and the JamaicaEnvironment Trust (JET)

partnered on a public edu-cation campaign – ‘NuhDutty Up Jamaica’- to im-prove knowledge and atti-tudes towards waste andits impact on public healthand the environment. Thecampaign was fundedunder the $34.5 million‘Clean Coasts Project’.

Entertainmentl 351 entertainment practi-

tioners and 45 companieshave registered with theNational EntertainmentRegistry. The registry is a

central unit for listing localentertainment services andcompanies.

l Kingston was designated aCreative City of Music bythe United Nations Educa-tional, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO).UNESCO’s Creative Citiesprogramme has a networkof 69 members from 32countries covering craftand folk art; design; film;gastronomy; literature;music and media arts.

Major Investments… cont’d from page 11

State Minister for Transport, Works and Housing, Hon. Richard Azan (right), is shown repairsbeing carried out on the Brandon Hill main road in West Rural St. Andrew under the JamaicaEmergency Employment Programme (JEEP) by Director of Major Projects at the NationalWorks Agency (NWA), O’Reilly Henry. The road was one of several in the constituency whichwas repaired at a cost of $280 million.


Social Security

The Ministry continues toprovide assistance for themost vulnerable in society

including grants to start smallbusinesses to move more per-sons from welfare to wealthcreation.

l The Government provided$4.7 billion to familiesunder the Programme ofAdvancement throughHealth and Education(PATH), and $72 millionto provide transportationallowances for 2,500PATH students.

l Another $100 million wasspent to provide assis-tance to needy studentsattending tertiary insti-tutions.

l More than 200 youngPATH beneficiaries par-ticipated in an annualSummer Camp organisedunder the Steps-to-Workprogramme held inKingston and St James.They benefitted fromtraining in entrepreneur-ship, job readiness, andother interventions.

l The Jamaica Council forPersons with Disabilities(JCPD) conducted thecountry’s first ever socio-economic survey on per-sons with disabilities. Thesurvey cost $2.8 millionand was sponsored bythe Government of Jamaica (GOJ) and theInter-American Develop-ment Bank (IDB).

l The Government ofJapan provided over $10million through its HumanResources DevelopmentGrant programme toboost education andskills training for personswith disabilities. Thetraining programme isbeing carried out underthe Government of Jam-aica’s Social and Eco-nomic Inclusion of Personswith Disabilities Project.

l Twenty-seven personsreceived permanent employment through a

Social and EconomicInclusion of Persons withDisabilities Project,funded by the WorldBank at a cost of justunder US$3 million.

l $4 million in empowermentgrants were given to 30persons with disabilitiesfrom the JCPD. The fundswere provided to assistthose who have eitherstarted a business or arein the process of doing so.

l $86 million has been approved for the con-struction of an additionalfacility for the Early Stim-ulation Programme (ESP).The new facility, whichwill be built at the ESP’sHanover Street location,in downtown Kingston,will include an assessmentcentre as well as roomsfor physical and speechtherapy, and other typesof treatment.

l In August, a new $30 mil-lion ESP facility, known asStimulation-Plus (STIM-PLUS), was opened in

Portland, with the supportof the Digicel Foundation.The ESP caters to theeducation and developmentneeds of children withspecial needs. Since itsinception in 1975, theprogramme has benefittedapproximately 20,000children across the island.Currently, the programmeoffers services to over1,200 children.

l $75 million was spentunder the Short Term Pov-erty Intervention Project,as the Government con-tinued its work to protectthe nation’s most vulner-able. The money wasspent mainly on entre-preneurial ventures, andthe provision of compas-sionate grants.

Labour Productivity, workplace safety,and advancing labour marketreform were priorities.

l The Ministry commencedits Workers Safety Pass-port Programme for per-sons in the construction

industry. The passport,which will be issued toeach worker, indicatestheir training level andcertification.

l Jobseekers residing inManchester now haveeasier access to theservices of the LabourMarket information Sys-tem (LMIS), under anagreement with the Man-chester Chamber ofCommerce, to establishof a satellite station at itsoffices.

l 8,022 workers went toCanada and 6,434 to theUnited States, to parti-cipate in the OverseasEmployment Programme.

l 245 companies have reg-istered with the VoluntaryCompliance Programmedesigned to preparestakeholder entities forthe Occupational Safetyand Health Act (OSHA).

Protecting the Most Vulnerable

Former Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, presents a certificate to NicolaWilliams, a student at the Early Stimulation Programme (ESP), during a graduation exercise last year.

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller hugs a youngresident of Balaclava, in St. Elizabeth.

To demonstrate the Govern-ment’s commitment to thehealth and well-being of

the nation, the health sectorbudget was increased by $7.2billion to $50.9 billion. This 17per cent increase was the largestnon-debt expenditure in the2015/16 budget.

In 2015, the Ministry continuedto upgrade the sector’s infra-structure and improve servicedelivery at public health insti-tutions across the island.

Primary Carel Renovations were com-

pleted on several healthcentres: the ClaremontCentre of Excellence –$64.3 million; ExchangeHealth Centre – $57 mil-lion (with funding supportfrom the CHASE Fund);Santa Cruz Centre of Ex-cellence - Phase 2 - $113million; Junction HealthCentre – $10.1 million;Golden Spring HealthCentre – $41.4 million(with input from the Jam-aica Social InvestmentFund (JSIF) and CHASE);James Hill Health Centre –$46.8 million; and Nanny-ville Health Centre –$51.5 million.

Secondary Carel Over $1.28 billion has

been spent to upgrade 15hospitals:

St. Ann’s Bay Regional – $170 million; Port Antonio – $58.9 million; Mandeville Regional – $166.6 million; Percy Junor – $18.4 million; May Pen – $67.7 million; Black River – $13.4 million; Kingston Public and Victoria Jubilee – $221.2 million; Bustamante – $195.8 million; Bellevue – $53 million; Princess Margaret – $60 million; Linstead – $55.7 million; Cornwall Regional – $51.5 million; Falmouth – $75 million; and Noel Holmes – $45.6 million

Cancer Carel A US$14.4 million contract

was signed with the US-based Varian MedicalSystems to establish twocancer treatment centres,at the Cornwall RegionalHospital in Montego Bay

and the St. Joseph’s Hos-pital in Kingston. Eachcentre will be equippedwith: one linear accelerator;one computerised tomo-graphy (CT) simulator; oneC-arm mobile X-ray unit;and one brachytherapymachine with TreatmentPlanning System and related Quality Assuranceequipment. Training is alsoincluded in the contract.

ICT Supportl The Universal Service Fund

(USF) provided connec-tivity to 60 health facilities.

Maternal and New BornSix contracts were signed aspart of the PROMAC:

1) Design services for the maternal and neonatal high dependency units – $61.9 million2) Design services for four

primary health care centres – $13,53 million 3) Purchase of six ambulances – $85.5 million4) HDU Equipment - $95.5 million5) Support for improvement of health seeking behaviour (two contracts) –$39.4 million

Ambulancesl Eighteen new ambulances

have been acquired – 10through a contract withToyota Jamaica; six throughthe Programme for theReduction of Maternaland Child Mortality (PROMAC); and two withthe assistance of theCHASE Fund.

Drug Treatment Court and Rehabilitation Programme l The National Council on

Drug Abuse (NCDA) will

now recruit, train, andemploy substance abusecounsellors for the DrugTreatment Court and Re-habilitation Programme.The programme aims toimprove the country’sefforts in combating theuse, production, and traf-ficking of illegal drugs byproviding an alternative toincarceration for drugabusers through the justice system.

10-Year Development Plan l A 10-year strategic plan

to advance health careservice delivery is beingdeveloped with $29.94million (US$250,000) ingrant support from theInter-American Develop-ment Bank (IDB).

Former Health Minister, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson (3rd right),breaks ground for the cancer treatment centre at the CornwallRegional Hospital in Montego Bay, St. James. Others partici-pating in the exercise are (from left) Industry, Investment andCommerce State Minister and Member of Parliament forWest Central St. James, where the hospital is located, Hon.Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams; Mayor of Montego Bay, CouncillorGlendon Harris; Chief Executive Officer, Culture, Health,Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund Wilford “Billy”Heaven; and Chief Executive Officer, National Health Fund(NHF), Everton Anderson.


Major Upgrading of Public Health Institutions

Minister of Health, Hon. Horace Dalley (3rd left), examinesone of several medical equipment donated by the Pan AmericanHealth Organization (PAHO)/Who Health Organization (WHO)to the Ministry of Health during the handover ceremony heldin December at the PAHO Jamaica Office located on the Uni-versity o the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus. Looking on(from left) are PAHO/WHO Representative in Jamaica, Dr.Noreen Jack; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health,Dr. Kevin Harvey; and Disease Prevention and Control Advisorto Jamaica, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, PAHO/WHO,Dr. Kam Mung.

Mobile Blood Collection Unit


Billions of dollars werespent last year to imple-ment projects aimed at

improving access to potablewater.

Water Projectsl Approximately 200,000

residents of Trelawny andneighbouring parishesare benefitting from impro-ved water supply throughthe completion of $1.6 billion in upgrading worksat the Martha Brae treat-ment plant.

l Over 6,000 residents inthe communities ofEwarton, Mount Rosserand their environs in St.Catherine now have a reliable supply of potablewater from a $460 millionsystem developed bythe National Water Com-mission (NWC).

l Approximately 7,000 per-sons in the communitiesof Clark’s Town, Georgia,Spicy Hill and Silver Sandswill see improved watersupply under the $91 million Clark’s TownWater Supply PipelineReplacement Project inTrelawny. Eight kilometresof pipeline were commis-sioned into service.

l The $467 million refur-bished Bogue watertreatment plant in NorthEast St. Ann was officiallycommissioned into service.The work was carried outunder the Jamaica WaterSupply ImprovementProject (JWSIP). The rehabilitated plant, whichhas a production capacityof six million gallons ofwater per day, is the mainsource of potable waterfor thousands of personsin Ocho Rios, as well asthe entire Northern Coastalbelt from North East St.Ann to Western and CentralSt. Mary.

l The Governmentlaunched a US$3.9 mil-lion project to protect theYallahs and Hope Riverareas from degradation,and to improve water resource management.

l Residents of Gutters, Retirement and adjoiningcommunities in WestCentral St. James nowhave access to a morereliable water supply fol-lowing the completion ofwork on the Gutters/Retirement Water SupplySystem at a cost of $26.3million.

l The NWC signed aUS$7.23 million contractfor the procurement of50,000 electronic watermeters for the KingstonMetropolitan Area (KMA).

l The NWC and the NationalCommercial Bank signeda US$12 million loanagreement to finance therehabilitation or replace-ment of several wastewater treatment facilitiesacross the island.

l Ground was broken forthe construction of aconcrete tank at MasonRiver, Clarendon, with capacity for 100,000 gal-lons of water. The storagefacility is to be built at acost of $35.7 million. It ispart of a $202.2 millionproject for the upgradingof the Mason River WaterSupply System.

l Rural Water Supply Lim-ited (RWSL) has repairedthe 35,000-gallon Ballynurerainwater catchment tankin North West Manchesterat a cost of $9.5 million.

l The Cassava Pond watersupply system in NorthWest St. Catherine wasestablished at a cost of$9 million.

l Contracts totalling US$8.73million have been signedfor upgrading and improve-ment works to six waste-water treatment facilitiesin the parishes of Kingston,St. Catherine, andClarendon.

l The Mahoe Ridge toHorse Guard Water Sup-ply System was officiallycommissioned into serv-ice. Work on the facilitywas done at a cost of $9million. The system will

provide improved accessfor hundreds of residentsof five farming communitiesin South St. James.

Climate Change and theEnvironment l Jamaica will benefit from

a US$6 million regionalclimate change resilience

project – ‘Building climateresilience of urban systemsthrough Ecosystem-based Adaptation’, whichwill be piloted in theKingston MetropolitanArea. The 24-month proj-ect will be executedthrough financing from the

Global Environment Facil-ity (GEF) Special ClimateChange Fund.

l Three locations have beenestablished as points ofcollection for electronicwaste (e-waste). Theseare the National Solid WasteManagement Authority(NSWMA) offices inKingston (Half-Way TreeRoad) and Spanish Town(King Street); and Derma-son Plaza, IndependenceCity, in Portmore. The e-waste project encouragesJamaicans to properlydispose of electronicitems such as computers,mobile phones, printers,monitors, laptops, key-boards, mouse, chargers,and cables.

l To protect the country’snatural resources, theGovernment has committedUS$16 million to the For-est Conservation Fund(FCF) over a 19-year period.

l The Scientific ResearchCouncil and the NationalEnvironment and PlanningAgency signed a Memo-randum of Understanding(MoU) to protect the coun-try’s plant and wildlife, especially those endemicto Jamaica.

l Thirty-eight teachers bene-fitted from climate changeawareness training as weprepare to incorporate thesubject in the school cur-riculum.

l Government signed a$278.8 million (US$2.37million) deal with Amer-ican technology firm, Environmental SystemsResearch Institute (ESRI)to provide Ministries, Departments, and Agen-cies (MDAs) with unlimitedaccess to the entity’ssuite of technology soft-ware. This will enhanceland administration andmanagement; planning,hazard mitigation, andemergency management;environmental science,national security, andutilities and infrastructure.

Thousands Benefit From Improved Access to Potable Water

Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change,Hon. Robert Pickersgill (left), and Member of Parliament for NorthClarendon, Hon. Horace Dalley, break ground for the con-struction a $35.7 million water storage facility at Mason River.

Cont’d on page 17

State Minister for Water, Land, Environment and ClimateChange, Hon. Ian Hayles (left), observes as Marketing Director,Instant Save Limited, Leanne Spence (right), demonstratesthe water saving faucet distributed by the company. Alsoobserving (from 2nd left) are: former Ambassador of the People’sRepublic of China to Jamaica, His Excellency Dong Xiaojun;Director, Meteorological Services, Jeffery Spooner; and BritishHigh Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency David Fitton.The occasion was a World Meteorological Day Symposium atthe University of the West Indies (UWI) in March.

Jamaicans continued tobenefit significantly fromthe Government’s pro-

gramme of land and housingdelivery in 2015.

HOUSINGNational Housing Trustl The National Housing Trust

spent approximately $18billion on housing develop-ments in 2015. Mortgagesaccounted for 94 percent of the total spend.

l 5,800 new mortgageswere created, not includingloans under the joint financing programme.

l NHT had 1,321 housingstarts, and 1,458 housingcompletions.

l The agency collected over$24 billion in contributions.

l The NHT began a pro-gramme to develop9,000 housing solutionswhich it will fund over 27months.

l The NHT has increasedits individual loan limit forsome new applicantsfrom $4.5 million, to $5.5million as at November.The new loan limit willapply to applicants whoare buying properties innew housing development,and those constructingnew housing units.

The policy change isaimed at stimulating theconstruction of newhousing developmentsand boosting the pur-chasing power of persons.

l The Trust reduced inter-est rates for all new loanapplicants. Beneficiariesearning up to $7,500 perweek will pay no intereston their loans.

Developmentsl In February, Prime Minister,

the Most Hon. PortiaSimpson Miller, presented60 homeowners withkeys and possession letters to their brand newhomes in the SandhillsVista Housing Developmentin Hellshire, St. Catherine.They represented the firstof 226 families, which willbenefit from new housing

solutions constructed ata cost of $1.8 billion.

l 1,200 two-bedroomhousing units were builtfor indigent personsacross the island througha partnership with Foodfor the Poor. A total of2,480 units have beenbuilt to date, providingemployment for 6,700persons.

l Ground was broken forthe Green Pond HousingDevelopment in St. James,which will further theGovernment’s mandateof making some 2,760residential serviced lotsavailable by March 2016.The Green Pond HousingDevelopment is madepossible through the useof approximately 71acres of land owned bythe Ministry of Transport,Works and Housing.

l The Government imple-mented Phase Two of theUnited Nations HabitatParticipatory Slum Upgrading Programme(PSUP 2) in Old HarbourBay, May Pen and Mon-tego Bay. The project aimsto improve the living con-ditions of the urban poor.

Land Titlingl Prime Minister Simpson

Miller launched the NationalLand Titling Programme,which will provide over40,000 Jamaicans withtitles.

l 7,139 new titles were issued by the NationalLand Agency (NLA) fromJanuary to October.

l 404 property holders islandwide have alreadyreceived titles under theinitiative. They includeresidents of: Whitehouseand Whithorn in West-moreland; and BedwardGardens, Seaward Pen,Seaview Gardens, andTower Hill in St. Andrew.

The programme is being led by the Ministry of Trans- port, Works and Housing and involves collaboration among several agencies to improve the efficiency in the delivery of titles.

l In May, the Prime Ministerpresented 70 residents inthe parishes of Westmore-land, Hanover, St. James,and Trelawny with land titles and certificates ofallotment.

l She also presented morethan 100 residents of

Clifton in St. Catherine withcertificates of possessionfor land which they haveoccupied for many years.Clifton is one of 30 com-munities across fiveparishes where tenure isbeing regularised underthe Sugar Company ofJamaica Holdings’ (SCJH)Community Regularizationand Development Pro-gramme.

l 101 Jamaicans in BogWalk, St. Catherine,

became landowners whenthe Prime Minister issuedcertificates of title to themthrough the Land Admin-istration and ManagementProgramme (LAMP).

l The NLA received an $8.3million printing system.Since its installation, thesystem has been used toprint maps, plans, and otherlarge format documentsfor the Agency’s clients.


l Jamaica has success-fully phased out the useof a key ozone-depletingsubstance, Hydrochlo-rofluorocarbon (HCFC),used in the foam manu-facturing industry.

l A number of key sectorswill benefit from techni-cal support to boost climate change resilienceunder the US$19.8 millionAdaptation Programmeimplemented by the Inter-American DevelopmentBank (IDB). It will providestrategies and actionplans for the water, health,and tourism sectors, as

well as coastal resourcesand human settlements.

l The Jamaica InvasiveSpecies Database(JISD), the first compre-hensive portal of itskind in Jamaica, waslaunched and can befound at: http://apps.licj.org.jm/jamaica invasives/.

l Government allocated$5 million for initial clean-up and disposal of thesargassum (a brown sea-weed with berry-like airbladders) currently affec-ting beaches and coast-lines across the island andthe wider Caribbean.

Thousands Benefit…cont’d from page 16

Empowering Jamaicans Through Home and Land Ownership

Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Minister,Hon. Robert Pickersgill (3rd left), officially commissions intoservice rehabilitated and new treatment plants at theNational Water Commission (NWC) facility at Martha Brae,Trelawny. Those sharing in the occasion include: Acting NWCPresident, Mark Barnett (2nd left); Falmouth’s Mayor, Coun-cillor Garth Wilkinson (2nd right); and Attorney General andMember of Parliament for North Trelawny, Hon. PatrickAtkinson (right).

Minister with responsibility for Housing in the Ministry ofTransport, Works, and Housing, Hon. Dr. Morais Guy (right),presents resident of Bedward Gardens, St. Andrew, JasmineBlagrove (left), with her certificate of title during a presen-tation ceremony at Bedward Gardens Seventh Day AdventistChurch. Sharing the moment are Mrs. Blagrove’s daughter,Beverley Blagrove, and granddaughter, Anastasia Scarlett.


Thousands of Young People Trained and Employed

The Ministry of Youth andCulture made significantstrides in empowering

young people through trainingand employment, safeguardingthe welfare of the nation’s childrenwhile ensuring that the countrycontinues to make its mark inworld culture and heritage.

Youth Development l Thirty two thousand

three hundred and fifty-five (32,355) young peo-ple were trained and placedin permanent and tempo-rary employment in thepublic and private sectors.

l 855 young people havebenefited from valuablework experience under theNational Youth Service’s(NYS) Graduate Work Experience Programme(GWEP). They were placedfor up to six months andwere provided with astipend.

l 115 young people havebeen trained to form theirown businesses throughthe NYS Entrepreneur-ship Programme.

l 13 young people gradu-ated from a Business Pro-cess Outsourcing (BPO)training course and weresubsequenty placed injobs.

l The Green Paper of theNational Youth Policy wastabled in Parliament inMay.

l Through collaborationwith CARICOM, 30 youngpeople benefited fromentrepreneurial training.

l Six new Youth Ambas-sadors were appointed.

l The Spanish Town andHanover Youth InformationCentres were opened.

l 27 Youth EmpowermentOfficers were trained inclimate change aware-ness.

Child DevelopmentAgency l The Child Development

Agency (CDA) initiatedcommunity walks, withthe field services team

visiting over 15 communitiesislandwide, distributingmaterials on child abuseand childcare and impac-ting close to 1,000 families.

l 1,500 parents benefittedfrom parenting work-shops in communitiesacross the island.

l A rapid response systemwas established to pro-vide support for childrenwho were traumatised.

l Holding areas for childrenwere completed at theBridgeport Police Stationin St. Catherine, BarrettTown Police Station in St.James, and MoneaguePolice Station in St. Ann.

l Work was advanced totransform the MaxfieldPark Children’s Homeinto a model childcarecentre. A best practicesprogramme was instituted,which involves extra-curricular activities, mentor-ship, field trips, and training.

l Musical instruments andequipment valued at$250,000 were handedover to the Home for theArt of Life Programme,

which engages childrenin creative activities.

l Professional counsellingwas provided for over1,442 children in Statecare and 3,687 out ofState care. 1,072 groupcounselling sessions wereconducted. One thou-sand children were alsoreferred to clinical psy-chologists and psychiatristsfor ongoing treatment.

l 55 students in State carewere recognised for out-standing results in the2014/15 secondary schoolexternal examinations.The number of childrenqualifying for tertiary edu-cation increased to 46from 2 in 2012.

l Research was conductedto determine the preva-lence of bullying in theJamaican society and itsimpact on the developmentof children.

l Over 1,298 children wereserved under the multi-agency approach to childprotection . Fewer than 20were remanded to aplace of safety. The chil-

dren are from areas inKingston and St. Andrew,Clarendon, St. James,Manchester and West-moreland, and Hanover.

Office of the Children’sRegistry l The Office of the Children’s

Registry (OCR) opened itsSt. Mary office to receive reports of child abuseand missing children.

l Ananda Alert computerunits were installed at sixparish libraries in St.Thomas, St. Catherine, St.Ann, Trelawny, St. James,and Westmoreland.

l The number of missingchildren was reduced by10 per cent, while nine outof 10 children reportedmissing were returnedthrough the Ananda Alertsystem.

l The platform for the broad-cast of missing and recovered children wasexpanded using digitalscreens at select WesternUnion locations and phar-macies via Global MediaLtd. Information is alsodisseminated by the Jamaica Observer on aweekly basis, and theNational Commercial Bankthrough its company intranet.

l 23 volunteers were trainedin search and rescue, including basic first aid,in support of Ananda Alert.

Culture and Heritagel The Blue and John Crow

Mountains were inscribedon the United NationsEducational, Scientificand Cultural Organization’s(UNESCO) prestigiousWorld Heritage List. Theyrepresent the first WorldHeritage site for Jamaicaand the first mixed (culturaland natural) site for theCaribbean. They are oneof only 32 mixed sites inthe world.

l Four places of historicalsignificance –Dryland/One BubbySusan, St. Gabriel’s An-glican Church, Arawak/Tainos Steps, and DaddyRock in St. Mary, weredeclared national monu-ments.

l Charles Town, Portland,and Scott’s Hall, St. Marywere designated nationalheritage sites.

l The Simón Bolívar CulturalCentre located downtownKingston, a gift from theGovernment of Venezuela,was officially opened.

l The Culture PassportProgramme, which was

Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna (3rd left), affixesher signature to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU),which establishes a partnership between the National YouthService (NYS) and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica(PSOJ), to strengthen the NYS Summer Programme for youngpeople. The signing took place in April 23 at the PSOJ officeson Hope Road, St. Andrew. Others (from left) are: Vice Presidentof the PSOJ, Gary “Butch” Hendrickson; President, WilliamMahfood; and Chairman of the NYS, Maureen Webber. Standing(from left) are: Executive Director of the PSOJ, Dennis Chungand Director at the NYS, Omar Newell.

Youth and Culture Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna, converses withCalabar High School students, Stephen Brufford (left), andBarry Rhoden, during one of the Ministry’s Youth Consultationsin Half Way Tree, St. Andrew.

Cont’d on page 19


The Government improvedsalaries and benefits forworkers, while continuing

the implementation of pro-grammes aimed at enhancingpublic service delivery.

Improved Salaries and Benefits l A new two-year salary

agreement, for a sevenper cent increase for the2015/17 period, wassigned with unions repre-senting public sector employees. The workersreceived salary adjust-ments of four per cent for2015/16, and three percent for 2016/17.

l There were also increasesfor specific allowances,for which retroactive pay-ments are being made.The increase broke theseven-year wage freezethat was instituted in2008.

l Approximately 96 percent of the over 100,000workers have signed Heads of Agreement forimproved wage and ben-efits. Groups that havesigned:

– United District Constables Assn (UDC) – Jamaica Teachers’ Asso- ciation (JTA) – Jamaica Federation of Corrections (JAFEDCO), – Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), – Jamaica Enrolled Nurses Association (JENA) – Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA), – Jamaica Police Federation (POLFED) – Resident Magistrates Staff Association – Legal Officers’ Staff Association (LOSA) – Jamaica Police Officers’ Association (POA) – Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors (JAPHI) – Meteorologists and Met Technicians (UTASP) – Jamaica Midwives’ Association (JMA) – Academic Staff Association – Nurses’ Association of Jamaica (NAJ)

– Senior Uniform Officers’ Association (SUOA) – Jamaica Association of Education Officers – Association of Librarians Jamaica Library Service (ALJALS)

Some of the benefits include: l Taxi Allowancel Meal/Supper Allowance/

Refreshment – Subsistence – Travelling – Shift Premium – Uniform/Tailoring

Education and Training Grantsl The wage agreement

includes an increase inthe tertiary educationgrants for children ofpublic sector workers to$45 million over the twoyears. It also includes thecontinuation of tertiaryeducation loans for workers;refund of tuition; andskills training.

TransportationA subsidy will be underwrittenby the Ministry of Financeand Planning for public sectorworkers who travel on theJUTC buses. These discussionsare well on the way. However,the Government continues to

provide transportation servicesunder its Government EmployeesTransportation Project (GETP).

Land l Lands across the island

have been identified forhousing development tobenefit civil servants andthere is agreement to thedevelopment of at leastone (1) project for thecontract period.

One-off Payments to Workersl In August, the final payment

of $25,000 to public sectorworkers was paid.

Cash Rewards Programmel Civil servants are now

benefitting from a ‘TeamJamaica Valucard’ pro-gramme, which sees themreceiving cash rebates atparticipating merchants.The initiative is a collab-oration between the Gov-ernment, private sector,and unions representingcivil servants.

Trainingl 400 public sector pro-

curement officers havebeen trained and certified,as part of the Government’sthrust to streamline and

transform the public pro-curement system. This

coincided with passageof the Public ProcurementAct in Parliament, andlaunch of Jamaica’s firstelectronic procurementsystem.

Public Financial Managementl The World Bank has pro-

vided an $8.6 billion(US$75 million) loan tobolster the ongoing pro-gramme of economicgrowth and development,under the First Compe-titiveness and FiscalManagement Policy LoanProject. This will supportstructural reforms designedto enhance Jamaica’scompetitiveness, therebyimproving the investmentclimate.

The provision forms partof a larger programme ofassistance entered intoby the Government andBank, valued at approxi-mately $58.9 billion(US510 million).

Public Sector Workers Accept Wage Agreement

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (seated, centre) signs a copy of the 2015/17Heads of Agreement reached between the Government and representatives of the JamaicaConfederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), during a ceremony at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).Also signing, (from left) are: JCTU Vice President, Helene Davis Whyte; then Minister withresponsibility for the Public Service, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Hon. Horace Dalley; Financeand Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips; and Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) Presi-dent, O’Neil Grant. Pictured in the background (from left) are: Manager, Public Relations, SpecialProjects and Community Outreach, OPM, Shelly-Ann Harris; and Finance and Planning Ministryofficials – Director, Industrial Relations, Lorna A. Phillips; then Acting Financial Secretary, EvertonMcFarlane; Senior Industrial Relations Officer, Charmaine Hayman; and Deputy Financial Secretary,Wayne Jones.

introduced in schoolsacross the island, willallow the students to access notable culturaland heritage sites freeof cost.

l The number of cultureclubs doubled to 200with membership of approximately 6,000. Thefirst National Culture ClubConference was staged.

l The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission(JCDC) upgraded itsevents production capa-bilities through the acquisition of much-needed equipment, including a box truck,multimedia projectors,and screens.

l Signs and storyboardswere placed at theAlexander BedwardChurch Ruins in AugustTown, to highlight its historical significance.

l The National GalleryWest was opened inpartnership with the redeveloped MontegoBay Cultural Centre.

l Restoration of the Admi-ralty House and H Blockin Port Royal was com-pleted, with the facilitiesbeing used as class-rooms spaces for theCaribbean Maritime Institute (CMI).

l The National Library of Jamaica’s resources cannow be accessed onlinethrough the WorldcatLocal-Library Manage-ment System.

l A national bibliography ofbooks about Jamaicaand by Jamaicans, sinceIndependence, was pub-lished.

l The Intangible CulturalHeritage website www.memorybankia.org.jm.was created.

Thousands of Young People Trained…cont’d from page 18


Stronger Justice System

Significant work was doneto improve the physicalinfrastructure of courts

across the island, while legis-lative measures were undertakenand systems implemented tostrengthen the administrationof justice.

Physical Infrastructure Developments in 2015l A High Density Filing Sys-

tem for the Supreme CourtRegistry was procured ata cost of $48 million andinstalled in Public BuildingNorth, Kingston. The sys-tem reduces the time forretrieval and filing, enabling improvement in produc-tivity while saving time andmoney. It also increasesstorage capacity, freeingup valuable floor space.

l Public Building North, amajor expansion of theSupreme Court in JusticeSquare, Kingston, was officially opened. It com-prises seven additionalcourtrooms, judges’ andmasters’ chambers, meetingrooms, more spacious facilities for the operationsof the various Registries ofthe Civil Division, and othercourt amenities.

l The Western Civil Registryof the Supreme Court wasopened in Montego Bay,to allow court documentsto be filed without litigantsor counsel having to bringthem to Kingston. The facility also provides a newhome for the MontegoBay Legal Aid Clinic.

l A western Jamaica officeof the Administrator-General’s Department wasopened to ensure more efficient delivery of servicesto persons in the westernend of the island for the firsttime since the entity wasestablished in the 1800s.

l Rehabilitative works weredone to the court facility inGordon Town, St. Andrew,and the court reopened(after being closed for sev-eral years) providing im-proved access for citizensin surrounding areas.

l The Santa Cruz ResidentMagistrate’s Court was reopened in November,

after rehabilitation work onthe courtroom, balcony,office, and refinishing ofthe floors. A vertical wheel-chair lift was also installedto ensure access to thetwo-storey building forpersons with physical dis-abilities.

l Substantial rehabilitativeworks were done to thecourt facility in BlackRiver, St. Elizabeth.

l Preliminary works com-menced for the relocationof the Coroner’s Court andCorporate Area Traffic Courtto premises at 2A HagleyPark Road. Major compo-nents of the project include:refurbishing and improve-ment of existing buildings.It is anticipated that theMinistry of Justice will alsobe accommodated at thecomplex, which is ownedby the Government of Jamaica.

l A video-link system wasinstalled at the CorporateArea Resident Magistrate'sCourt in Half-Way Tree, St. Andrew. The technologywill allow vulnerable wit-nesses and those unableto attend court to give evidence from a safe remote location.

Legislation in 2015l Administrator-General’s

(Amendment) Act 2015,

which substantially reformsthe laws relating to admin-istration of the estates ofdeceased persons. Thisallows the Administrator-General to commence andcomplete the administrationof estates of persons whodie without making a willwithout needing to obtaina court order

l Criminal Justice (Adminis-tration) (Amendment) Act2015 and the Judicature

(Appellate Jurisdiction)(Amendment) Act 2015,providing for a shortersentence for persons whoplead guilty, the reductionbeing more substantial theearlier in the proceedingsthat the guilty plea is made.

l Dangerous Drugs(Amendment) Act 2015,decriminalising smallquantities of ganja andproviding a legislative plat-form for the developmentof a regulated industry inmedicinal ganja.

l Evidence (Amendment)Act 2015, speeding up thetrial process by allowingfor the admission of factsand documents into evi-dence by agreement, pro-viding a simpler systemfor admitting expert reportsinto evidence, and simpli-fying the procedure foradmitting computer-generated evidence.

l Jury (Amendment) Act2015, reforming severalaspects of the jury systemto reduce delays in crimi-nal trials by juries.

l Judicature (SupremeCourt) (Amendment) Bill2015 passed in the Senate.This Bill establishes a new

administrative structurefor the Supreme Court inkeeping with modern bestpractices, and strengthensthe administrative supportfor the Chief Justice.

l Judicature (Resident Mag-istrates) (Amendment) Bill2015 passed in the Senate.This Bill modernises thegovernance arrangementsfor Resident Magistrates,and brings them under theJudiciary Act so that theirsalaries and benefits arereviewed periodically by theIndependent Commissionof the Judiciary rather thanbeing dealt with as civilservants.

l Integrity Commission Bill,to establish a single Anti-corruption Agency, wasreviewed by a Joint SelectCommittee, and is to bedebated in 2016.

l Evidence (Special Measures)(Video Recorded Evidence)(Criminal Proceedings)Regulations 2015, providingthe detailed parametersfor the admission of evi-dence from vulnerable witnesses and witnessesunable to attend court viaa live audiovisual link froma remote location.

l Criminal Records (Reha-bilitation of Offenders)Regulations 2015, providingan administrative procedurefor the automatic expunge-ment of past convictionsfor minor ganja offences,upon a person applyingfor a police certificate oftheir criminal record.

Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation Projectl Information and Commu-

nications Technology (ICT)equipment was acquiredfor the courts, includingscanners, computers anddigital recorders.

l The Office of the Directorof Public Prosecutionsand the Attorney General’sDepartment have alsobenefitted from ICT equip-ment such as computers,video conferencing equip-

Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding (right), withthe assistance of (from left) President of the Senate, SenatorFloyd Morris, and Chief Justice, Hon. Zaila McCalla, officially openthe newly renovated Santa Cruz Resident Magistrate’s Court-house. Looking on is special guest at the ceremony, Santa Cruzresident, Javani Parker (background, right).

Cont’d on page 22

Justice Minister, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding examines thestate-of-the-art High Density Filling System, at the official handingover of the Public Building North of the Supreme Court, Down-town Kingston. Looking on are Chief Justice, Hon. Zaila McCalla(left) and Attorney General Hon. Patrick Atkinson.


Local Government Advances Reform Process

The Ministry of Local Gov-ernment and CommunityDevelopment made strides

in advancing the reform processthrough the passage of game-changing legislation; theexpansion of Local EconomicDevelopment initiatives; amulti-stakeholder approach tomunicipal enforcement; andcitizen participation.

Legislation Passed l The Bill entrenching Local

Government in the Jam-aican Constitution waspassed, providing consti-tutional protection to LocalGovernment in Jamaica.

l The three strategic Bills thatundergird local governancewere passed into law.These were the LocalGovernance Bill; LocalGovernment (Unified Ser-vice and Employment) Bill;and the Local Government(Financing and FinancialManagement) Bill.

They create the framework withinwhich: local authorities will oper-ate with greater scope andautonomy; be subject to newand clear standards of account-ability; exercise prudent financialmanagement; and oversee aworkforce with increased com-petency and skills.

Development ApplicationReview Process –Application Managementand Data Automation (AMANDA) Systeml Hundreds of developers

continue to use theAMANDA System to trackthe progress of their sub-missions. The AMANDAsoftware allows for trans-parency through the facili-tation of a paper trail; andreduced delays in theprocesses within the de-velopment sector.

National Building Actl The revised the Building

Act, which will facilitateimproved oversight andregulation of the built envi-ronment as well as theadoption and efficient application of the NationalBuilding Code, has beentabled in Parliament.

Local Economic Developmentl The Ministry continued the

expansion of its LocalEconomic Developmentinitiative. Through the Carib-bean local Economic Dev-elopment (CARILED) Project,13 projects providing tech-nical assistance to localauthorities and other stake-holders were implementedat a cost of $60 million.

Trainingl More than 50 technical

officers of the Ministry andits agencies, involved inthe building approvalprocess, benefitted from a$6 million training project.A total of 120 will be trainedunder a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU)signed between the Min-istry and the University ofTechnology (UTech).

l 164 persons completedtraining as EnvironmentalWardens through the Jam-aica Social InvestmentFund (JSIF) IntegratedCommunity DevelopmentProject (ICDP).

l 30 residents of Cambridgeand surrounding areas inSouthern St. James rec-eived training as fire wardens.

l The Board of Supervisionpartnered with the HEARTTrust/NTA to provide training

for workers at a cost of$3.5 million.

Improved Infrastructure l Phase one of the upgrading

of the Spanish Town Infir-mary was completed at acost of $20 million. Theproject included the reno-vation of three of the infir-mary’s seven wards (twofemale and one male), aswell as the laundry, bath-room, kitchen, and desig-nated staff areas.

l Engineering and construc-tion works were carriedout on a halfway house inClarendon by crew mem-

bers of the Royal FleetAuxiliary (RFA), Lyme Bay.The work included remod-elling of the building toprovide a doctor’s office,medical cubicles, dormi-tories, and a dining area.

l The Santa Cruz Poor Relief Office was officiallyopened in August 2015. Itwas constructed at a costof over $3 million withfunds provided by the St.Elizabeth Parish Council.The building has officesfor the Poor Relief Officersand a representative ofFood for the Poor; kitchen;and sanitary conveniences.

Markets/Roadsl Renovation at the Queens

Market in downtownKingston was completedat a cost of $39.6 million

l The rehabilitated Frazer toDonegal main road, nearNewmarket, in St. Elizabeth,was officially opened. Theroad was repaired at a costof $8 million and is expectedto serve over 8,000 citizensof the communities.

l Rehabilitation work valuedat US$1.8 million com-menced on the accessroad to the Riverton Citydisposal site. The one-yearroad construction project,slated to be completed inSeptember 2016, is beingundertaken through grantfunding from the Mexicangovernment. It will involve

the building of a two-kilometre concrete road-way to improve the entranceto and exit from the dis-posal site, and enable thenecessary agencies to respond more quickly toemergencies.

l A Parochial Road SprayPatching Programmestarted in five pilot areas(Portmore, Trelawny,Westmoreland, Clarendon,St. Thomas). This wasachieved through partner-ship with the Road Main-tenance Fund (RMF) andthe National WorksAgency (NWA).

Office Of Disaster Preparedness And Emergency Management(ODPEM) l The ODPEM has crafted a

national road map, aimed atstrengthening the country’scapacity and lessen the effects of earthquakes.Developed in conjunctionwith United Nations devel-opment partners, the earthquake road map addresses preparation, re-sponse, and recovery.

l ODPEM in collaborationwith the National SpatialData Management Divisiondeveloped the Geo SpatialDamage Assessment Tool(Geo-DAT) designed tocapture data from postdisaster sites in real time.It is a locally developedSmartphone application(app) that has the capacityto assess multiple hazards,such as hurricanes, fires,chemical spills, and floods.

National Disaster Fundl One per cent of the money

charged for developmentapprovals is being used toboost the pool of fundsavailable for disaster preparedness and response.

Social Development Commission (SDC)l The Social Development

Commission (SDC) pro-vided greater support forCommunity DevelopmentCommittees (CDC), throughthe Government’s Admin-

Minister of Local Government and Community Development,Hon. Noel Arscott, demonstrates the capacity of the water stor-age and pumping system installed at the Riverton City disposalsite during a tour of the facility on Thursday, December 17.

Cont’d on page 22

Local Government and Community Development State Minister,Hon. Colin Fagan (right), presents an award to Jamaica FireBrigade (JFB) recruit, Dwayne Rankine, during last year’s grad-uation ceremony at the Madge Saunders Conference Centre inSt. Mary.


istrative Fund, which isvalued at $20 million.

l 867 jobs were createdthrough the Local Eco-nomic Development Sup-port Programme (LEDSP)from 141 projects in 113communities. The LEDSPwas launched in May 2015to formalize communitybusinesses, and grow entrepreneurship in com-munities.

l $15 million was spent toconstruct a communityresource centre for resi-dents of Rockfort in EastKingston. The centre isequipped with space foran office; community-based policing activities;meetings and social events;and business enterpriseactivities.

Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB)l The Jamaica Fir Brigade

repaired 357 hydrants is-landwide at a cost of$15.9 million with fundingprovided by the JapaneseGovernment. Two hun-dred and twenty-three of the hydrants were repaired in collaborationwith the National WaterCommission. The fundsalso facilitated the main-tenance of another ninehundred and seventy-four(974) hydrants.

l Phase one of rehabilitationof the Spanish Town firestation has been com-pleted.

Emergency Response Capabilitiesl The capacity to respond to

fire emergencies has beensignificantly enhancedwith the acquisition of fivefire units (pumpers) andone fire boat.

l Seventy-nine gears (79)were acquired for fire-fighters.

Human Resource Managementl 55 persons were trained

in core skills, and 103

recruits graduated fromthe Madge SaundersConference Centre.

NATIONAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (NSWMA)Improvements and Remedial Work Done on the Riverton Disposal Sitel The NSWMA, along with

its regional body, Metro-politan Parks and Market,has taken the necessarysteps to reduce the risk ofcatastrophic fires occurring again. Significantremedial works have takenplace on the 120-acreRiverton disposal site.

l The entire area has beencovered and the tippingarea for solid waste is nowsmaller and more controlledwith the use of only oneof the three operating cellsites. Additionally, otherupgrading and improve-ments works are takingplace. These include:

Fire Suppression System l A 128,000-gallon water

storage tank was installedin the north-eastern section of the disposalsite.

l Two pumps used forwater collection and dis-tribution to the pipes andhydrants were installed.

l Water pipes were installed around theperimeter of the landfill.Fire hydrants have alsobeen placed along thedistribution line.

l Members of the LandfillTeam were trained inbasic fire prevention tech-niques and early res-ponse to prevent firesgetting out of control.

Measurement of Weight (Scale) l The existing weigh scale

will be repaired and cali-brated to capture the volume of waste beingdelivered to the disposalsite daily. This is to ensure

that fees paid to the collection contractors arebased on the actualgarbage disposed.

Tipping Cell Design & Division l All tipping areas will now

have multiple access roadsto facilitate smooth trafficflow and increased efficiency.

Public Cleansingl The NSWMA undertook a

massive clean-up driveaimed at eliminating mos-quito breeding sites inmajor towns across theisland.

l The NSWMA’s publiccleansing programme inFalmouth was improvedwith the addition of a new$25 million garbage compactor.

Parish Councilsl Work commenced on the

construction of a new$74.8 million building tohouse the WestmorelandParish Council. The moderntwo-storey structure isbeing constructed onlands at the intersectionof Murray and GreatGeorge Streets in Savanna-la-Mar.

l Upgrading work on themunicipal building of theSt. Elizabeth ParishCouncil, in Black River, is60 per cent complete.The first phase which included the constructionof the Council Chamberhas been handed overand officially opened.Work on this phase costsome $20 million, withfunding from the Counciland the Ministry. Theoverall estimate for thebuilding is $50 million.

l The St. James ParishCouncil spent over $1million to undertake reha-bilitation work on theCornwall Court Kiddies’Park and the NorwoodCommunity Centre.

l Through the work of theCouncil, the MontegoBay City’s clock towerwas repaired and a newclock purchased at a costof US$23,000.

l The Portmore MunicipalCouncil spent $2 millionto develop a recreationalarea and a new park forchildren and the elderly inWaterford, Portmore.

l The Westmoreland ParishCouncil rehabilitated theJerusalem MountainCommunity Centre at acost of $1.2 million.

l 361 subdivision/buildingplans were received bythe Parish Councils, 91per cent of which wereprocessed within 14 days.

l The St. Elizabeth ParishCouncil issued a manda-tory policy for rain waterharvesting in new housingdevelopments.

Kingston And St. AndrewCorporationl 230 vendors were regis-

tered under the KSAC’svendor registration pro-gramme. The Corporationalso reclaimed publicspaces in the CorporateArea, including sidewalksand recreational parks toensure that pedestrians,including persons withdisabilities and children,have access to theseareas.

l The Corporation intro-duced the $2 million Enterprise AssistanceProgramme, which is intended to nurture anddevelop Micro, Small andMedium-sized Enter-prises (MSMEs). TheKSAC also awarded$430,000 in grants to sixaspiring entrepreneursfrom the Corporate Area.

- The KSAC won the Best Parish Council award, at this year’s Public Sector Customer Service Com- petition (PSCSC).

Local Gov’t Advances… cont’d from page 21

ment and a multi-functionheavy duty copier.

l The report on the new Cor-porate and OrganisationalStructure for the Ministryof Justice was completedand the proposed Organ-isational Structure appro-ved in principle by theMinistry of Finance andPlanning.

l The Strategic Review ofthe Legal Reform Depart-ment to improve its leg-islative research/reviewcapacity has been com-pleted.

l Manual for the develop-ment of legislation com-pleted.

Restorative Justice Programmel An additional Restorative

Justice Centre was estab-lished in Montego Bay.

l The 7th International Resto-rative Justice Conferencewas held in Jamaica.

National Child Diversion Programmel The National Child Div-

ersion Policy, on how todeal with children in con-flict with the law, was approved by Cabinet andtabled in both Houses ofParliament. The requiredlegislation to give it effectis in development.

JPs Sworn Inl 224 Justices of the Peace

sworn during the year.

Trafficking in Personsl The Anti-Trafficking in

Persons and IntellectualProperty Vice Squad received surveillanceequipment aimed at increasing prosecution ofpersons involved in humantrafficking and reduce dependence on victimsfor evidence.

l The National Task ForceAgainst Trafficking in Per-sons (NATFATIP) receiveda $1 million donation fromthe Jamaica Hotel andTourist Association (JHTA)to assist efforts to safe-guard children.

Stronger Justice…cont’d from page 20


Agriculture Recovers From Drought to Record Growth

Despite the severe droughtaffecting the agriculturalsector, preliminary data

shows only a small decline of1.5% in overall domestic pro-duction. This was possiblethrough strategic interventionsof the Government of Jamaicathat caused a record growth of0.5 per cent for April to June,and 3.3 per cent for July toSeptember quarter. In addition,growth was made possiblethrough the introduction ofselect crops and livestock.

Drought Mitigationl During April to June, the

sector was positively impac-ted by a 12.1 per cent increase in traditional export crops, due to highersugar cane and bananaproduction. Coffee pro-duction increased by 26.8per cent, despite millionsbeing lost by coffee farmersin bush fires in Mavis Bank.

l Over 200 ginger farmersbenefitted from the distri-bution of fertiliser, fungicide,and weedicide, enablingthem to cultivate 70 hec-tares which will yield up to1.2 million pounds of ginger.

Additionally, 0.4 hectares of tissue culture ginger was established to provide farmers with access to disease-free seedlings for

future production at a total cost of $12.5 million.

l Approximately 45,000 pimento seedlings wereproduced at a cost of$800,000. These will bedistributed (free of cost) tofarmers for the cultivationof an additional 253 hec-tares of pimento in 2016.

l For the July to Septemberquarter, traditional exportcrops increased by 5.6 percent, due to a 15.2 percent increase in the pro-duction of bananas. Live-stock was up by 8.4 percent, largely reflecting an8.8 per cent increase inpoultry production and a39.7 per cent increase inegg production.

l One of the factors contri-buting to the sector’sgrowth was increased out-put from the nine agroparks, which are equippedwith irrigation facilities. Asat December 2015, theoutput from the agro-parkstotalled 611,517 kilo-grammes of agriculturalproduce, representing a73.5 per cent increase,compared with the corre-sponding period of 2014.One thousand, four hun-dred and twenty-eight(1,428) persons are cur-rently at the agro-parks.

They include 1,032 farm-hands and 396 farmers.

l 100 agro-park farmersbenefitted from protectivegear and on-farm environ-mental managementtraining at a cost of $2.2million.

l The National IrrigationCommission (NIC) rehabil-itated and commissionedinto service storage tanksin New Forest, Manchester.

l Eighteen small farmerswho cultivate fruits andvegetables on the BracoFarms in Trelawny benefit-ted from the installation ofa drip irrigation system.The Jamaica Social Invest-ment Fund (JSIF) providedfunding for the $11.7 mil-lion project, which includedthe establishment of afood safety facility to enable farmers to packageand store their produce.

l Sugar cane farmers, whoaccessed loans under theCane Expansion Fund, received relief in their repayment as part of theGovernment’s drought recovery support.

Building Capacityl A solar system was com-

missioned into service atthe National Irrigation Com-mission’s (NIC) Ebony Park

pumping station in Claren-don. This is expected toreduce electricity cost forirrigation by $6 million peryear.

l A US$1.5 million projectwas launched to assist2,220 small farmers in Jam-aica and five other Carib-bean countries to diversifyproduct offerings, and improve market linkagesand profitability. It is beingimplemented by theCaribbean Farmers Net-work (CaFAN) and fundedby the European Union’sTechnical Centre for Agri-cultural and Rural Cooper-ation in partnership withthe Sandals Foundation.

Trainingl 297 farmers from five

parishes benefitted fromweather pattern training.The farmers are now bet-ter able to interpret andunderstand weather pre-dictions and make informeddecisions regarding plant-ing and harvesting. Theprogramme was fundedthrough a US$100,000grant from the UnitedStates Agency for Inter-national Development(USAID).

l The Jamaica AgriculturalSociety (JAS) began imple-

mentation of a $14 millionfarmers’ training pro-gramme. 1,500 farmerswere trained in poultry, pigand small ruminant man-agement over the year.

l Jamaica 4-H Clubs youthleaders continue to benefitfrom technical and voca-tional training being pro-vided under a three-yearMoU signed with theHEART Trust/NTA in 2014.

l The Ministry invested $8million in a train the trainerscourse in Good Aqua-culture Practices, GoodFishery Vessel Practicesand Seafood HazardAnalysis Critical ControlPoint (HACCP). It benefittedaquaculture farmers, fishers,processors/exporters andregulators.

Arresting Praedial Larcenyl The Government spent $7

million to employ addi-tional staff in the PraedialLarceny Prevention Co-ordination Unit (PLPCU)as it intensifies efforts toaddress agricultural theft.

l The PLPCU reported a 14per cent decrease in prae-dial larceny and farm theftcases since the Unit beganoperating in March 2015.

l The Unit has prosecuted148 offences, which includelarceny of cattle, receivingstolen property, unlawfulpossession of property,selling uninspected meat,and killing animals with intent to steal. Of thisnumber, 137 convictionswere obtained.

l 205 stolen animals wererecovered and over 7,160pounds of uncertifiedmeat seized and des-troyed. The Praedial Lar-ceny Prevention Unit alsovisited 168 farms, con-ducted 71 communitymeetings and 83 stake-holder meetings.

Support to Export Facilitiesl Two food export entities in

western Jamaica benefittedfrom grant assistanceamounting to $2.1 millionto undertake improvements

Cont’d on page 25

Agriculture Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier (left), and Jamaica Agri-cultural Society (JAS) President, Senator Norman Grant, examinea jackfruit which was on display during the second day of theDenbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show at the Denbighshowground, in May Pen, Clarendon.

State Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. LutherBuchanan (centre), inspects calves during the 62nd Annual Gen-eral Meeting of the Cattle Breeders Association in Westmore-land. Others looking on, from left, are: officer at the BodlesAgricultural Research Station in St. Catherine, Owen Prince;Director General in the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry, DonMcGlashan; Senior Research Director at Bodles, Huntley McKenzie;and Senior Livestock Research Officer, Juan Williams.


High-level Visits

Visits including three fromG7 countries and otherhigh-level representatives,

provided significant opportu-nities and further strength-ened Jamaica’s relations withthe international community.The Diaspora Conference alsoforged partnerships and hadsignificant outcomes aimedat deepening relations.

l President of the UnitedStates, Barack Obama,visited Jamaica in April.He held bilateral discus-sions with Prime Minister,the Most Hon. PortiaSimpson Miller, and alsomet with CARICOM Headsof Government who werehere for a Summit. Healso held a youth forumat the Mona Campus ofthe University of theWest Indies where he announced nearly US$70million of investments ineducation, training, andemployment programmesfor young people through-out Latin America andthe Caribbean.

l Prime Minister of theUnited Kingdom, Rt. Hon.David Cameron, visitedin September. He held bilateral talks with PrimeMinister, the Most Hon.Portia Simpson Miller,and addressed a JointSitting of Parliament.

£300 million was grantedto Jamaica and otherCARICOM countries forinfrastructure projectsover five years. Additionally,£30 million was given toimprove climate reliefand disaster resilience ofhealth facilities; and £30million for economic support for private sectordevelopment and improvements to publicsector effectiveness.

l Prime Minister of Japan,His Excellency Mr. ShinzoAbe, visited the island inOctober. He held talks withPrime Minister the MostHon. Portia Simpson Miller,on a range of issues. AMemorandum of Under-standing on AcademicCooperation between theUniversity of the West Indies and Sophia Univer-sity was also signed.

l President of the BolivarianRepublic of Venezuela,His Excellency NicolasMaduro, visited Jamaicain September to attend the10th Anniversary Summitof the PetroCaribe EnergyCooperation Agreement.

There were other visits inclu-ding:

l South Africa’s Minister ofInternational Relationsand Cooperation, the Hon.MaiteNkoana-Mashabane

l Her Royal Highness, thePrincess Royal whotoured the Jamaica Def-ence Force’s Headquarters,RJR Basic School, and TheMico University College.

l Vice Chairman of theStanding Committee ofthe National People’sCongress of the People’sRepublic of China, Mr.Zhang Baowen

l Vice Minister of ForeignAffairs of Colombia, Mrs.Patti Londono Jaramillo,who signed a cooperationagreement to increasetrade and investment between the two countries.

Technical and EconomicCooperation l Minister Nicholson and Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Dong Xiaojun, signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation agreement on February 20, valued at 100,000,000 Renminbi Yuan (J$1.8 billion). The funds will be used to cover projects to be agreed by both countries.

l The Governments of Jam- aica and China signed a Memorandum of Under- standing (MOU) on June 16 for the commencement of negotiations to establish

an Air Services Agreement between Jamaica and China. This will create new opportunities for tourism.

l The People’s Republic of China handed over a Chinese Garden to the People of Jamaica in August at the Royal Hope Botanical Gardens.

l The governments of Jam- aica and Brazil signed a Visa Waiver Agreement in May. The agreement came into effect on June 26, and is expected to boost tourism between both countries.

Key Appointmentsl Ambassador and Perma-

nent Representative to theUnited Nations and itsSpecialized Agencies inGeneva, His ExcellencyMr. Wayne McCook, assumed the role ofCARICOM Coordinator inGeneva.

l The following Ambassadorswere appointed: His Excellency Mr. RalphThomas to the UnitedStates in August; andHer Excellency Mrs. FayPickersgill to the People’sRepublic of China in November.

Regional and InternationalEngagementsJamaica participated in a num-ber of meetings and internationalengagements:

l Ministerial Meeting of theCommunity of LatinAmerican and CaribbeanStates (CELAC) andChina Forum in China;

l Third CELAC Summit ofHeads of State and Gov-ernment in Costa Rica.

l Conference of CARICOMand German ForeignMinisters in Germany.

l Seventh Summit of theAmericas in Panama City.

l Second European Unionand Community of LatinAmerican and CaribbeanStates Summit in Brussels.

l Third International Con-ference for Developmentheld in Addis Ababa in July.

l Commonwealth Heads ofGovernment Meeting inMalta.

l 21st Session of the Confer-ence of the Parties to theUN Framework on ClimateChange (UNFCCC) in Paris.

Tradel Senator the Hon. A. J.

Nicholson led Jamaica’sdelegation to the 10th WorldTrade Organization (WTO)Ministerial Conferenceheld in Nairobi.

l Jamaica ratified the TradeFacilitation Agreement(TFA) and transmitted itsInstrument of Acceptanceto Geneva in December.The TFA, aimed at expe-diting the movement,clearance, and release ofgoods, was adopted bythe WTO in December2013. The Agreement willenter into force, once two-thirds of the members havecompleted their domesticratification process.

l Jamaica’s profile in theinternational sphere wasraised. Attorney-at-Law, Margarette Macaulaywas elected as Jamaica’srepresentative on the Inter-American Commission of

World Leaders Visit

Cont’d on page 25

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon.A.J. Nicholson, (right), receives Letters of Credence from Canada’sHigh Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Sylvain Fabi, shortlyafter his appointment in 2015.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. ArnaldoBrown (left), converses with members of the Jamaica Associationfor the Resettlement of Returning Residents (JARRR) during thelaunch of the organization’s updated website, at the Jamaica Con-ference Centre in downtown Kingston.


to their facilities. Theseimprovements will pre-pare the entities to meetthe requirements underthe US Food Safety Mod-ernization Act and otherinternational standards, aswell as provide safe foodfor the local population.

l A new offsite fumigationfacility was established atthe Jam Island ProcessingCompany in Manchester,to aid in the preparationand packaging of productsfor export. The project,which was undertaken incollaboration with the Min-istry of Agriculture, willserve to enhance Jam-aica’s export capacity.The new facility is over12,000 square feet andcan accommodate up tothree 40-foot containers.

Support to Farmersl $106 million was spent

under the Government ofJamaica/Adaptation FundProgramme (GOJ/AFP) tostrengthen the agriculturalsector’s resilience to cli-mate change. Two thou-sand and seventy-four(2,074) farmers were trainedin climate-smart tech-nologies and proper landhusbandry techniques.Additionally, two hundredand twelve (212) on-farmdrip irrigation systemswere established on select farms as well as 22hand tractors provided tofarmers groups by Foodfor the Poor. The initiativeaims to protect farmers’livelihood; safeguard food

security in vulnerablecommunities by strength-ening coastal protection;improve land and watermanagement; and buildcapacity for climatechange adaptation.

Sugar Transformation Programmel 17 cane roads totalling

78.37km were completedin the six sugar-dependentparishes (St. Catherine,Clarendon, St. Thomas,Westmoreland, St. Eliza-beth and Trelawny) at anapproximate cost of$700M

l 552 residents of sugar-dependent areas receivedtraining and certificationin welding, plumbing,general beauty therapy,and cake baking from theHEART Trust/NTA at acost of over $100M.

l 55 socio economic proj-ects were completed insugar dependent com-munities at a cost of $623million. The project involvedwork carried out at schoolsand health centres; watersystem developments,and rural electrification,among other activities.

l 44 applications were sub-mitted for the registrationof small businesses forresidents of sugar-depen-dent areas. The grants tobe issued total $40M.

Regularising Land Ownership l 300 families in sugar-

dependent communitiesin Westmoreland and St.Catherine received certi-

ficates of possession forlands which they havebeen occupying fordecades, under the SugarCompany of JamaicaHoldings Limited Com-munity RegularisationProgramme.

Land Leasing Programmel Just over 5,180 acres of

land is being leasedunder the Agro Parks ini-tiative. To date 2,142acres have been leased.The remaining lands areat various stages of leaseprocessing. Of note, is anagreement signed withRed Stripe for 250 acres

of land in Cheesefield, St.Catherine, for the cultivationof cassava. This will sup-port Red Stripe’s move touse locally grown cassavaas a replacement for

imported barley in theproduction of beer.

Support to AgriculturalSchoolsl The Government provided

$12.2 million in grantfunding to the College ofAgriculture, Science andEducation (CASE) to ren-ovate its Dairy Unit. Thesupport includes a donationof 25 Jamaica Hope heifers.In addition, scholarships

valued at $18 million havebeen granted to students.

Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA)l Two thousand and seventy-

five farmers in drought- affected areas benefittedfrom a $25 million rehabil-itation and mitigation pro-gramme. This undertakingincluded the replantingcoffee in the Blue MountainRidge; restoration and replanting of banana andplantain; and increasingresilience against dry spellsand fires in critical pro-ductive zones by distri-bution of water tanks andtraining in watershedmanagement and properland preparation.

l $44 million was spent torehabilitate 100.9km offarm roads. Twenty-ninethousand (29,000) per-sons in several farm com-munities benefitted underthis programme.

l $56.4 million was spentto provide nine thousandseven hundred and thirty-nine (9,739) farmers withseeds and chemicals forthe production of selectcrops under the ProductionIncentive Programme.

l The new parish office ofRADA in Trelawny, built ata cost of $80 million, wasofficially opened in October.

l 26 extension officerswere trained in green-house production tech-niques.

Agriculture Recovers from Drought… cont’d from page 23

Human Rights, of the Organisation of AmericanStates (OAS) and Pro-fessor of Social Historyat the University of theWest Indies (UWI), VereneShepherd, will representthe country on the UnitedNations Committee onthe Elimination of RacialDiscrimination (CERD).

Sixth Biennial Diaspora Conference held in June in Montego BayKey outcomes of the Confer-ence: l Team Jamaica Bickle, Inc.,

donated a nuber of Defib-rillators to several schoolsacross the island.

l Formation of a partner-ship between the Diaspora

and the BustamanteHospital for Children inPaediatric Oncology.

l Hosting of a summer campfor 375 grade three primaryschool students with aremedial programme inMaths, in July.

l The Diaspora Day ofService resulted in Nine-teen (19) projects in the

areas of agriculture, edu-cation, community devel-opment, health, immigrationand sports implementedin seven parishes.

Mapping Jamaica Diaspora Projectl More than 2,300 persons

and 30 groups have beenregistered by the Inter-

national Organization forMigration (IOM). The proj-ect aims to identify the location, skills, expertiseand interest of Jamaicansin the Diaspora, with theultimate objective ofmatching the skills in theDiaspora with gaps thatexist in Jamaica.

World Leaders Visit… cont’d from page 24

Agriculture Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier (left), presents Man-chester farmer, Sylvia Jones (centre), with a commitment letterfor the provision of a 650-gallon water tank, highlighted in thebackground, during a handing over ceremony at the Rural Agri-cultural Development Authority (RADA) parish office, in Mandeville.Looking on is RADA Chief Executive Officer, Lenworth Fulton.


The Government allocatedsignificant sums to improvesports facilities, introduce a

welfare programme for athletes,and strengthen the anti-dopingsystem.

The country’s athletes continuedto excel at the internationallevel with outstanding perfor-mances in various sportingdisciplines.

Upgrading of Facilitiesl The G.C. Foster College of

Physical Education andSport now boasts a $171million running track con-structed in 2015. The trackis certified by the Inter-national Association ofAthletics Federations (IAAF).

l Stands at the Leila RobinsonNetball Courts at the National Arena were expanded and improved,providing greater comfortfor spectators. Work wasdone at a cost of $13 million, as part of a wider$36 million developmentprogramme for the facility.

l $45 million was allocatedfor upgrading of the elec-trical system at the NationalStadium pool.

l A Special Olympics Bas-ketball Court and sportscomplex, the first of itskind in Jamaica, wasopened at the NationalArena. The project wasfunded by Digicel JamaicaFoundation.

l $25 million was allocatedfor the installation of an irrigation system at theTrelawny Multi-purposeStadium in Falmouth. Thisis part of infrastructure upgrading works to pre-pare the facility to be renamed the Usain BoltSports Academy.

Support for Athletesl More than 1,000 Jamaican

athletes across all sportsnow have an insurance planto provide group health, aswell as life and personalaccident insurance. In addition to the Govern-ment’s contribution, national sporting asso-ciations and federationshave agreed to contribute

five per cent towards thecost for their participatingmember athletes.

l $71 million has been pro-vided to offset some of thecosts to athletes and feder-ations preparing for reg-ional and internationalcompetitions. They will alsobe allowed greater accessto and use of the nationalsporting facilities in theirpreparations.

l Government is providing amonthly stipend for 84 athletes preparing for the2016 Olympic Games inRio. $42 million has beenallocated to provide sup-port ranging from $30,000to $60,000 per athlete permonth under the Athletes’Development Fund.

l Telecommunications firmsFlow and LIME providedsponsorship valued at $28million towards the devel-opment of track and field.

Outstanding Performancesl Athletes won 12 medals at

the World Championshipsin Beijing, China, with anall-time high of sevengold, two silver, and threebronze. This stellarachievement placed thecountry second on themedal table.

l There were also impressiveperformances from theNational Paralympic Teamat the Para-Pan Games inCanada which equalled itsrecord of five medals com-prising two Gold, two Silver, and one Bronze

l Jamaica earned 29 medalsat the Special OlympicsWorld Summer Games inLos Angeles, California;

l The Sunshine Girls placedfourth at the Netball WorldCup in Australia;

l Alia Atkinson won a goldmedal in the 50M breast-stroke at the FINA Swim-ming World Cup in Paris,France, and earned a silvermedal in the 50M, andbronze in the 100M, at theFINA World Champion-ships in Russia.

l The Reggae Boyz placedsecond in the CONCACAFGold Cup Final;

l Jamaica earned sixmedals – 4 gold, one silver, and one bronze, atthe Commonwealth YouthGames in Samoa.

JADCOl The Jamaica Anti-Doping

Commission (JADCO)formed a partnership withthe World Anti-DopingAgency (WADA)-accreditedNational de la RechercheScientifique (INRS) labora-tory in Canada. JADCOwill use INRS’ AthletePassport ManagementUnit for the steroids moduleto monitor urine samplesof athletes.

l JADCO began blood testingas part of its doping con-

trol procedures. The testsare being done in collabo-ration with Central MedicalLaboratories Limited.

l 17 doping control officersand 50 chaperones weretrained.

l Partnerships werestrengthened with otheranti-doping agencies andlocal bodies such as thePharmaceutical Society ofJamaica (PSJ) and the Jamaica Medical Doctors’Association (JMDA), toeducate athletes.

l JADCO also continued toeducate athletes throughinformation posted on itswebsite, social mediapages, through the monthly‘JADCO and You’ radioprogrammes, and thequarterly True Spiritnewsletter and televisionprogrammes.

Table Tennis Championships l The inaugural staging of

the Jamaica Winter TableTennis Championships,held at the Montego BayCommunity College, attracted 25 of the bestplayers from Europe, theUnited States, and theCaribbean.

Outstanding Achievements in Sports

Minister with responsibility for Sport, Hon. Natalie Neita Headley (3rd left), cuts the ribbon to openthe upgraded stands at the Leila Robinson Courts at the National Arena in Kingston on February 3.Others (front row, from left) are: Chairman, Sports Development Foundation (SDF), Dr. WarrenBlake; President, Jamaica Netball Association, Marva Bernard; General Secretary, Jamaica OlympicAssociation, Christopher Samuda; former Patron of Jamaica Netball Association, Lady Rheima Hall;Chairman Institute of Sports, Don Anderson; Project Engineer, Sports Development Foundation (SDF),Terry Montague; General Manager, SDF, Denzil Wilks; and Project Manager, SDF, Christopher Marshall.

Minister with responsibility for Sport, Hon. Natalie NeitaHeadley (2nd left), compete in a "sprint" on the new running trackat the G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport, atAngels, St. Catherine, following the re-commissioning ceremonyfor the facility. Also participating in the "event", (from left) are:Councillor for the Angels Division, where the College is located,Pat Harris; and Olympian Sherone Simpson.


More Persons Accessing ICT

Increasing access to infor-mation and communicationstechnology (ICT); forming

partnerships for strengtheningcybersecurity; increasing renew-able energy solutions; andenergising the mining sector,were some of the achievementsof the Ministry of Science,Technology, Energy and Mininglast year.

Community Access Pointsl Through the Universal

Service Fund (USF), 48Community Access Points(CAPs) were completed ata cost of $174 million.There are now 231 CAPsin operation across the island including the fullyequipped Internet Caféand Information and Com-munications Technology(ICT) Centre in GreenPond, St. James, whichwas completed at a costof $4.7 million.

l The computer centre atthe New Day Primary andJunior High School inKingston, was refurbishedat a cost of $3.7 million.

l A computer lab was estab-lished at the Refuge TempleLearning Academy in St.Elizabeth at a cost of $4.4million.

USF Provides Jamaicans with more ICT Accessl Through the Universal

Service Fund (USF), 73police stations and facilitiesacross the island are beinglinked by Wide Area Net-work at a cost of $7 million.The USF also providedconnectivity to 60 Ministryof Health facilities. (Moveto Health)

l The Government signedtwo MoUs with the UnitedStates Government to increase access to the Internet in rural parishesand implement clean, sus-tainable energy initiativesin the country. The firstagreement seeks to makeuse of unused television(TV) band spectrum, alsoknown as called TV whitespaces (TVWS), to improvethe information and com-munications technology

(ICT) infrastructure. Thesecond is a programmeof technical collaborationon the implementation ofclean energy activities.

l A $3 million computercentre, outfitted with Wi-Fiaccess, was handed overto the Mobile Reserve ofthe Jamaica ConstabularyForce (JCF). The facility isequipped with 10 comput-ers, a printer, a projectorand a screen, and will beused as a training centrefor officers.

l The Ministry officiallyopened the BickerstethComputer Skills Trainingand Homework Centre inSouthern St. James. Itwas established throughthe collaborative effort ofthe Ministry, the UniversalService Fund (USF), andLIME Foundation at a costof $2.6 million.

l The Jamaican Foundationfor Lifelong Learning(JFLL) received $18.95million to purchase com-puters and related equip-ment and provide Internetconnectivity for 14 adulteducation centres.

l Approximately $19 millionwas provided last year tothe Court ManagementServices for technologicalupgrading and improvingefficiency.

Tablets in Schools Pilot Projectl The pilot of the Tablet in

Schools (TIS) programmecame to a close at the endof the 2014/15 academicyear, with over 25,000tablets issued to studentsand teachers in 38 insti-tutions islandwide.

Cybersecurityl In January, the Government

launched a National Cyber-security Strategy to pro-tect the country’s Inform-ation and CommunicationsTechnology (ICT) sector.

l The Cyber Incident ReportTeam, responsible for coordination and responseto cyber-threats, was alsolaunched in May.

l An MoU was signed for a‘Stop, Think, Connect’Campaign to raise publicawareness about cyber-security.

Open Data Policyl An Open Data Policy is

being finalized to guide theoperations of GovernmentMinistries, Departments,and Agencies in facilitatingimproved and more con-venient public access toGovernment data.

Number Portabilityl Over 33,000 mobile cus-

tomers have switchedservice providers, sincethe Government facilitatedthe introduction of NumberPortability in June.

Energyl Phase three of the Wigton

Wind Farm expansionprogramme, in Manches-ter, is almost complete.The US$45 million projectis being undertaken by theSpanish firm, Gamesa.

l Work has started on theconstruction of a US$89million wind farm at Munroin St. Elizabeth. The 36.3-megawatt facility will gen-erate electricity using 11Vesta Model V-112 windturbines.

l Jamaica continues to realise massive savingsfrom the Energy Conser-vation and DiversificationProgramme. The cost ofelectricity has fallen fromUS$0.42 cents per kilo-watt hour (kWh) in 2012 toUS$0.26 cents in 2015.The drop in the base rateof electricity has surpassedthe target set by the Gov-ernment to achieve a rateof US$0.30 cents per kWhin 2016.

l A $20 million pilot projectto outfit the National IndoorSports Centre with solarpanels to generate 100megawatts of energy, waslaunched in July.

l American company, NewFortress Energy LLC, willinvest more than $200 million to construct a liq-uefied natural gas (LNG)terminal in Jamaica. Thisfollows an agreement between JPSCo and thecompany for the supply ofgas to fuel the generationof electricity, and is the cat-alyst for the development ofJamaica as an energy hub.

l In April the Governmentand the United Statessigned a Statement of Intent outlining areas ofcooperation on the devel-opment and deploymentof energy-related technol-ogies. This paved the wayfor Jamaica to implementits LNG programme, andis a major shift by the Department of Energy ofthe United States govern-ment to allow the exportof LNG to Jamaica.

Electricity Act Passedl The Electricity Act 2015

was passed in the Housesof Parliament in May, toallow for the provision of amodern codified system ofregulating the generation,transmission, supply, dis-tribution and the dispatchof electricity.

Rural Electrification Programme l The Government has

changed the name andmandate of the Rural Elec-

Cont’d on page 28

Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. PhillipPaulwell (seated at centre), points to the new computer as he speakswith students of the Bickersteth Primary School during a tour of thecomputer facility. The occasion was the opening of the BickerstethComputer Skills Training and Homework Centre, located at theBickersteth Church of God of Prophecy. Looking on (seated) isChief Executive Officer of Universal Service Fund, Hugh Cross.

State Minister for Science, Technology, Energy, and Mining, Hon.Julian Robinson (2nd left); and Jamaica Public Service Company(JPS) President and Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Tomblin (left),officially open the JPS McGregor Gardens Service Centre inKingston. Others, from 2nd right, are: Vice President for CommunityRenewal and Energy Solutions at the JPS, Keith Garvey; and JamaicaSocial Investment Fund (JSIF) Managing Director, Omar Sweeney.


https://www.facebook.com/jamaicainformationserviceEmail: [email protected] ● Website: www.jis.gov.jm

DESIGNED BY THE JAMAICA INFORMATION SERVICE

https://twitter.com/jisnews

trification Programme(REP) to the National Energy Solution CompanyLimited (NESol), with anexpanded role to achieveenergy efficiency, includinggreen energy solutions.

l Under a $4 million projectexecuted by NESol, 46residents of Douglas Cas-tle in St. Ann now haveelectricity in their homes.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programme(EECP)l The Government has

realised savings of $80million through the imple-mentation of the EnergyEfficiency and Conser-vation Programme (EECP)in 40 Ministries, Depart-ments, and Agencies(MDAs), and will be exten-ding the initiative whichcommenced in 2011.

The EECP has been implemented in 40 MDAsthat now enjoy energysavings ranging betweeneight and 23 per cent.These include: the Officeof the Prime Minister(OPM); the Jamaica Information Service (JIS);and the Sugar IndustryAuthority (SIA) head office.

The programme involves:the retrofitting of buildings;the overhauling of air con-ditioning systems; andthe installation of solarmicrofilm and heat controlsolutions on roofs.

Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ)l An energy-efficient air

conditioning system, val-ued at $8.4 million, wasinstalled at the maternityward of the Spanish TownGeneral Hospital in St.Catherine. The projectwas undertaken by the

Petroleum Corporation ofJamaica (PCJ).

l The PCJ also invested$12 million in upgradingthe air-conditioning sys-tem which serves the operating theatre suitesand the accident andemergency ward of theAnnotto Bay Hospital inSt. Mary. This is expectedto reduce the facility’selectricity usage by 34per cent.

l Fifteen primary and sec-ondary schools acrossthe island were retrofittedwith solar panels by thePCJ, as part of a $60 mil-lion green energy project.

l The PCJ invested $22million in the installationof variable frequencydrives (VFDs) at the National Irrigation Com-mission’s (NIC’s) six

pumping facilities acrossthe island. The VFDs, located at sites in St.Catherine, Clarendon,Trelawny, and St. Elizabeth,are expected to efficientlyregulate the utilisation ofenergy in pumping andsupplying irrigation waterto farmers.

Miningl Over 300 persons have

been employed since theresumption of bauxitemining operations at Alpartin South East St. Elizabeth.The Government hasagreed to the export ofbauxite pending the December 2016 reopeningof the alumina refinery atNain in the parish.

l The Quarries Control(Amendment) Act 2015,which includes new provi-sions regarding fines andoffences, quality control,transfer of licenses, and

quarry management, isnow in force.

Liberalisation of Ganjal Under the Dangerous

Drugs (Amendment) Act2015, licences weregranted to the Universityof the West Indies and theUniversity of Technologyto undertake the acquisi-tion of ganja for researchpurposes.

Hi-Tech Farming Projectl A $200 million agreement

was signed for a hi-techfarming project involvingsome 20 greenhouses ateight sites, which willbenefit more than 200farmers in the parishes ofManchester, St. Elizabeth,and St. Ann. It is beingfunded by the JamaicaSocial Investment Fund(JSIF) and the JamaicaBauxite Institute (JBI).

Several significant piecesof legislation were passedin the Houses of Parlia-

ment during the year underreview, to strengthen the Gov-ernment’s efforts in crimefighting, facilitate investmentsand job creation, enhancejustice, and entrench theprocess of local governance.

Legislation Passed1. The Disaster and Pre-

paredness Emergency and Management Act, 2015

2. The Urban Renewal (Tax Relief) (Amendment) Act, 2015

3. The Public Bodies Man-agement and AccountabilityAct, 2015

4. The Financial Administrationand Audit Act 2015

5. The Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, 2015

6. The Appropriations Act 2015 7. The Minimum Business

Tax Act, 2015 8. The Quarries Control

(Amendment) Act, 2015

9. The Baptist Mid-Missionsin Jamaica (Incorporated)(Change of Name and Amendment) Act, 2015

10.The Revenue Appeals Division, Act 2015

11.The Administrator-General's(Amendment) Act, 2015

12.The Income Tax (Amend-ment) Act, 2015

13.The Copyright (Amendment)Act, 2015

14.The Constitution (Amend-ment) (Local Government)Act, 2015

15.The Conch (Export Levy) (Special Provisions) Act, 2015

16.The Evidence (Amendment)Act, 2015

17.The Nuclear Safety and radiation Protection Act, 2015

18.The Electricity Act, 2015 19.The Revenue Administration

(Amendment) Act, 2015 20.The Public Procurement

Act, 2015 21.The Fishing Industry

(Amendment) Act, 2015 22.Weights and Measures

(Amendment) Act23.Civil Aviation (Amendment) Act24.Bank of Jamaica (Amend

ment) Act25.Kingston and St. Andrew

Corporation General Election(Postponement) Act

26.Parish Councils General Election (Postponement) Act

27.Judicature (Appellate Juris-diction) (Amendment) Act

28.Criminal Justice (Administration) (Amendment) Act

29.Office of Utilities Regulation(Amendment) Act

30.Road Traffic Act31.Transport Authority

(Amendment) Act

32.Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Evidence Act, 2015

33.Representation of the People (Amendment) Act

34. Special Economic Zones Act35.Judicature (Resident

Magistrate’s) (Amendmentand Change of Name) Act

36.Judicature (Supreme Court) (Amendment) Act

37.Firearms (Amendment) Act

Tabled Bills 1. Sexual Harassment Act

Orders, Resolutions, Committee Reports, Ministerial Statements2. Since January 2015, 28

Orders and Resolutions have been approved by theHouse of Representatives.

3. Since January 2015, ten committee reports have been adopted, as well as27 requests for answers to questions granted.

4. 37 Ministerial statementswere made between January and December.

Members of both Houses of Parliament stand during the cere-monial opening of Parliament. The Governor-General, His Excel-lency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, delivered the 2015/16Throne Speech under the theme: ‘Partnership for Development:Inclusive Growth…Expanding Opportunities’.

Significant Laws Passed in Parliament

More Persons Accessing… cont’d from page 27

1 2015 achievementsyear included: growth l average growth ranged between 0.3 and 1.5 per cent for...

Documents