January 30, 2024 – Page 3 – Jamaica Year In Review

Connecting Jamaica

Posted on January 30, 2024

The Government continued its thrust to bridge the digital gap and connect Jamaicans, particularly in rural areas, through the establishment of free, secured Wi-Fi hotspots in communities across the island.

Minister Daryl Vaz (right) examihes a solar-powered lamp with Member of Parliament for St. James Central and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Heroy Clarke, during a tour of communities in St. James that are to benefit under the Rural Electrification Programme (REP), on November 10. Looking on (from 2nd left) are Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, and Managing Director, Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Omar Sweeney.

Broadband Access

• Four parish courts, six police stations, all municipal corporations and 524 educational institutions across the island were connected to the Internet under the national broadband initiative.

Tablets/Laptops in Schools

• 10,000 laptops were procured for high schools at a cost of $600 million to facilitate e-testing for external examinations.

• An additional 3,000 teachers received vouchers towards acquiring laptops to assist with the teaching-learning process, bringing the number to more than 19,000. The cost of this programme is approximately $2.44 billion.

• 90 projectors were procured and distributed to 65 schools.

• 59 interactive boards were procured and distributed to 57 schools.

Boosting Public Transportation

• The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) procured 50 new buses, boosting the daily runout to 315. The number consisted of 45 diesel and five electric buses.

• Three charging stations for electric buses were installed.

• Operation Streamline was launched to rid the streets of rogue taxi drivers and ensure the safety of the public.

Supporting Business and Innovation

• $834,939 million was allocated for research and development, which is $47,207 million or six per cent more than the 2022/ 2023 allocation.

• The Scientific Research Council (SRC) supported more than 39 small businesses in producing juices, flavoured water, sauces, jams, herbal products, and meat processing.

• Fifty-six (56) new products were developed for commercialization.

• More than 7,900 tests on water, food, and other samples (swabs, air assessments, cosmetics) were completed.

• Training workshops were facilitated by the SRC in agro-processing, meat processing, food safety standards, waste water management, basic science laboratory technology, and personal care development (soaps and lotions).

Rural Electrification

• Work was advanced to provide reliable and safe electricity supply to under- served communities and those under The Rural Electrification Programme (REP).

• Pilot project launched to provide 10,000 solar lamps to households that do not have access to electricity.

Strengthening Border Security

Posted on January 30, 2024

Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman, engages with soldiers during the Jamaica Defence Force’s (JDF) inaugural CodeSprint Cyberthon at Up Park Camp, Kingston in October.

Government continued to strengthen measures to protect the country’s borders, while undertaking programmes and initiatives to empower the population, particularly young people.

• JDF got an additional offshore patrol vessel- His Majesty’s Jamaican Ship (HMJS) Norman Manley to boost maritime security and the blue economy.

• The JDF welcomed 392 new members, comprising 314 males and 78 females.

• Government allocated $3.1 billion in the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure to facilitate the procurement of radar, marine offshore patrol vessels, cameras, software, hardware, and other equipment.

• The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) strengthened its digitisation efforts with its new e-passport introduced in April.

• The fully digitised entry process (C5 Electronic Entry Portal), which affords arriving airline passengers greater ease through Customs, became operational.

• A US$2 million contract was signed with software solutions company Freshworks Limited to design and implement a passport customer relationship management (CRM) system.

• A new border security management system was acquired to better enable the entity to collect, process and analyse information on persons entering the country.

• 30 more immigration kiosks were installed.

Rehabilitation of Inmates

• Renovated Block B at the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre in Spanish Town was opened at a cost of $34.3 million.

• 11 new motor vehicles were added to the Department of Correctional Services’ (DCS) fleet, bringing the total to 107.

Youth Initiatives

• Musical instruments and sports gear were donated to the Irwin High School in St. James and Grange Hill High in Westmoreland.

• Fifty-four tablet computers were handed over to several schools under the We Trans- form Youth Empowerment Programme (WTYEP), in partnership with e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited (e-LJAM).

• JDF hosted CodeSprint-Cyber- thon, to empower young people to know more about cyber threats.

Unwavering Commitment in Combating Crime and Violence

Posted on January 30, 2024January 30, 2024

The Government’s commitment was unwavering in tackling crime and violence through strategic investments in infrastructure, technology and equipment.

Technology in Crime Fighting

Prime Minister Andrew Holness looks at a specimen through a microscope at the JCF’s technology exposition at the National Arena in Kingston. Observing (from left) are: Forensic Ballistics Expert, Assistant Superintendent of Police Miguel Bernard; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Fitz Bailey; Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang; and Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson.

• Digitisation of the police force continued with implementation of the electronic Station Records Management and Case Management Systems.

• JCF acquired equipment valued at $30 million to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities.

• Computers valued at US$700,000 were procured under the Security Strengthening Project (SSP), funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

• Additional body-worn cameras were procured for the police, with more than 400 deployed. Ten of the 19 police divisions were outfitted with cameras.

• More than 750 Traffic Ticket Management System (TTMS) handsets and 750 mobile handheld printers were handed over to the JCF.

Vehicles Acquired

• 74 motorcycles were added to the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB). With this addition, PSTEB now boasts a fleet of 435 motorcycles.

• 25 new vehicles were acquired for the JCF.

• Japan provided $428 million in grant aid to bolster the JCF’s mobility.

Police Facilities Built, Renovated

• Renovation and construction works conducted at 134 police facilities.

• Ten domestic violence centres, designed to assist with conflict resolution, were established at police stations islandwide.

Crimes Down

• 2023 recorded the lowest number of serious crimes, murders, shootings, rape, robberies and break-ins reported in approximately 22 years.

• Serious crimes in 2023 declined by 10 per cent relative to the previous year, with murders down by 7.8 per cent; and robberies and break-ins, 14 per cent.

• Of the 2970 major crime incident reported, 1453 were cleared through arrests.

• Over 517 persons were arrested for murder and over 600 murder cases were cleared; 385 persons were arrested for shooting and over 418 shooting cases were cleared; 994 persons were arrested for sexual offences, while 980 cases were cleared.

• 23 service dogs were added to the Canine Division.

• $10.2 million was paid out in Crime Stop rewards.

New Police Recruits

• Approximately 829 new con- stables of the JCF trained, 54 new correctional officers and 392 Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC) new members graduated.

Legislation Passed to Advance Social and Economic Agenda

Posted on January 30, 2024

Several pieces of legislation were approved in 2023 by the Houses of Parliament to advance the country’s social security and economic agenda.

Legislation Passed

1. Road Traffic (Reprieve and Nullification of Prescribed Notices) Act, 2023

2. Representation of the People (Postponement of Elections to Municipal Corporations and City Municipalities) Act, 2023

3. The Appropriation Act, 2023 No. 3

4. The Childcare and Protection (Amendment) Act, 2023 No. 11

5. The Companies (Amendment) Act, 2023 No. 4

6. The Consumer Protection (Validation and Indemnity of Tribunal) Act, 2023

7. The Constitution (Amendment of Sections 96(1) and 121(1)) Act, 2023 No. 10

8. The Financial Administration and Audit (Amendment) Act, 2023

9. The Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Act, 2023

10. The National Compliance and Regulatory Authority Act, 2023 No. 8

11. The Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2023

12. The Bail Act, 2023

13. Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Dev- elopment Measures) (Amendment) Act, 2023

14. The National Council on Drug Abuse (Repeal) Act, 2023

15. The National Family Planning (Repeal) Act, 2023

16. The Financial Administration and Audit (Amendment) (No.2) Act, 2023

17. Amendments were made to the Copyright Act to enable greater access to books and other copyright works by blind, visually impaired or otherwise print-disabled and hearing-disabled persons in Jamaica.

18. Amendments were made to the Special Economic Zones Act to benefit local and inter- national stakeholders.

19. The Domestic Violence (Amendment) Act

Orders and Resolutions

Approved

1. Civil Service Establishment General Order, 2023

2. Bauxite and Alumina Encouragement (Relevant Concession Period) Order, 2023

3. Public Procurement (Registration and Classification of Suppliers) (Amendment) Regulations, 2023, Resolution

Reports Approved

1. Joint Select Committee on the Review of the Cybercrimes Act adopted.

Tourism – Major Driver of Economic Resurgence

Posted on January 30, 2024January 30, 2024

Tourism remains one of the biggest drivers of Jamaica’s post-COVID-19 economic resurgence and growth, underlining the island’s status as one of the fastest recovering countries globally and the Caribbean’s most rapidly growing tourist destinations.

Visitor Arrivals

• Jamaica welcomed 4.15 million visitors, representing an increase of 24% over the previous year. This includes 2,886,064 stopover visitors, which marks a 16.4% rise. Additionally, there were 1,265,586 cruise arrivals recorded for the year, representing a 48.3% increase over 2022. This surge in visitors generated foreign exchange earnings of US$4.27 billion, which represents an 18% increase over 2022.

• The $1.3 billion Bengal Cove Villas development in Discovery Bay, St. Ann was officially opened.

• The new and improved road- way to the historic Bath Fountain Hotel in St. Thomas, was officially opened.

• $1 billion in sales generated by small farmers utilising the TEF-facilitated Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) platform.

• Ground was broken for the eight-storey Montego Bay Racquet Club Condominiums and Spa development.

• The Ministry, through TEF, handed over 50 new 650-gallon water tanks to farmers in Ulster Spring, Southern Trelawny.

New Flights

Minister Bartlett engages with Red Cap Porters at the Norman Manley International Airport, during a recent visit.

• Jamaica welcomed Frontier Airlines’ inaugural non-stop flight from Denver, Colorado and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas; Southwest Airlines’ inaugural flight from Kansas, Missouri; Norse Atlantic Airways inaugural flight from London-Gatwick Airport.

Economic Boost for SMTEs

• As at July, the National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (EXIM Bank) had approved and disbursed loans totalling $1.93 billion to operators of small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs).

• Over 600 patrons attended the two-day ‘Christmas in July’ trade show at the A.C. Hotel by Marriott Kingston, which showcased 175 exhibitors featuring locally made products.