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.
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.