Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Clifford E. Warmington says he is pleased with the work being done on the May Pen to Williamsfield leg of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC).

Speaking today, (Thursday, May 11, 2023), during a tour of the May Pen to Williamsfield leg of the SCHIP, Part A, which is being managed by the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), Minister Warmington noted that work on the project is 94 percent complete with completion expected by August 2023.

Work on this section of the highway involves the construction of approximately 23 kilometers of a four-lane divided arterial highway from May Pen to Melrose Hill, and the upgrading of approximately 5 kilometers of the existing Melrose Bypass to a four-lane rural arterial divided highway. There will also be an interchange in the vicinity of Clarendon Park with a link road from the highway to the main road.

Meanwhile, Minister Warmington stated that this section of the project is a stark contrast to the Harbour View to Port Antonio leg of the project.

“China Harbour totally controls the construction work here while in the other section, we divided the project between China Harbour and the local contractors,” the Minister noted.

Minister Warmington explained that the National Works Agency is merely the engineer on the project.

“The National Works Agency is the engineer representing the Government of Jamaica. The National Works Agency is not involved in the actual supervision or construction of the project…the obligation is between China Harbour and the local contractors in that section of the highway, so you can’t blame the National Works Agency because the National Works Agency cannot give instructions to the local contractors. They are subcontracted to China Harbour”, explained Minister Warmington.

Residents along the more than 20-kilometer stretch of road between Harbour View and Yallahs have complained about the dust nuisance, access to properties, and the condition of the driving surface, associated with that section of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project project.

The Government intends to complete 10 of the 15 packages that form the local component of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Programme (SCHIP), with the remaining five packages to be awarded during this fiscal year.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth & Job Creation (MEGJC), Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, will lead Jamaica’s climate agenda at the 3rd Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) Ministerial Meeting which is to be held in Brussels, Belgium on May 12, 2023.

Other members of the delegation include Ms. Schmoi McLean, Program Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation from the Ministry; and Mrs. Phillipa Ricketts-Edmund, Director of Hazard Mitigation and Risk Management at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD).

Building on the LoCAL Ministerial Declarations, the third LoCAL Ministerial Meeting, being held under the theme ‘Together for impactful adaptation’, will consider challenges to the climate-resilient development pathway, discuss practical solutions, and agree on a common strategy to accelerate transformational adaptation action at the local level.

The meeting will also provide a unique platform for LoCAL countries to reaffirm their bold leadership and political commitment needed for securing additional finance for accelerated and ambitious local adaptation, through the LoCAL mechanism, in the most climate-vulnerable countries.

“Since becoming a part of LoCAL in 2020, Jamaica has partnered with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to conduct introductory training sessions with staff of Municipal Corporations (MCs); draft a concept note that outlines how the initiative could be successfully implemented in selected MCs; and submit a proposal for funding to the Green Climate Fund – GCF that was approved and submitted on 21st February 2023,” Minister Samuda said.

The Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCAL) Facility, designed by the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), is a country-owned initiative aimed to promote green and climate–resilient communities and local economies by establishing a standard, an internationally recognized country-based mechanism to channel climate finance to local authorities for its effective use.
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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Clifford. E. Warmington says that $15 million will be allocated to undertake emergency repair work on the Seaman Valley to Millbank road network in Eastern Portland.

The announcement came today (May 3, 2023) during a tour of the constituency at the invitation of Member of Parliament, Ann-Marie Vaz.

“The condition of that road is one of the worst I have seen. Based on the deplorable condition of the road, I asked the NWA team to scope a $15 million emergency project for it right now, to try and make the surface a little better to use…The government will release $15 million as an emergency to address the situation. We did a $30 million in Phase 1 and now I’ve asked the team to do the next $50 million as Phase 2″.

Minister Warmington gave the assurance that the roads in areas toured, will be addressed.

“I can assure the Member of Parliament, Ann Marie Vaz, and the people of Eastern Portland that the government listens, will react and all of these projects will be addressed this year including this one (Norwich Heights) even though it is not a part of the NWA network”, he advised.

Among the areas toured were Wain Road, Ginger House, Cornwall Barracks, Norwich Heights, the Toms Hope breakaway, the Ginger House breakaway, the Comfort Castle breakaway and Alligator Church Bridge to Belleview.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth & Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, will be leading the Jamaican delegation at the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) – European Union (EU) Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Change 2023, scheduled for May 5.

The meeting will be held in San Jose, Costa Rica, and will present an opportunity for the exchange of views on areas for strengthened collaboration and partnership between the two regions.

It is expected to follow the Bureau Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean on May 4.

“The Ministerial Meeting will consider the outcomes of the 5th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA5), the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 27), the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15), the 2nd session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution (INC-2), and other relevant international processes,” Minister Samuda outlined.

Additional invited officials include the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries; Ministers of Environment of the LAC & the EU; representatives from the EU delegation in Costa Rica; representatives from DG Environment, DG for Climate Action; staff of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and others.

This event is part of the bi-regional CELAC-EU Roadmap adopted in Buenos Aires in October 2022, and will feed into the preparations for the EU-CELAC Summit in Brussels on 17-18 July which will reinforce bi-regional partnership at the highest level.
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Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness today (April 28) handed over five new houses to persons in Campbell Town, Central Kingston, and West Albion Meadows in St. Thomas, under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP).

Three units were handed over to Ms. Leisha Brown, Ms. Lisa Brown and Mr. Lloyd White who were displaced by a fire that gutted their homes at 1 Goodwin Avenue in Campbell Town, Central Kingston in 2020.  Mr. White had resorted to living in an old, abandoned vehicle in the area.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Holness noted that the NSHP is designed to help persons who are in immediate distress.

“This is one such case where a residence which housed several households, was destroyed by fire and what we have decided to do is to rebuild on the same property. But we didn’t just build without first of all establishing who has the right to build and occupy the property because the government doesn’t want to contribute to the informal, haphazard and irregular settlement of land, and so we ensured that we were able to establish ownership and occupancy through a formal legal process, and so I am satisfied”, he stated,

The Prime Minister added that the recipients now have an asset that will help them to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

“There is a base from which their children can build. You know the big difference it makes to have housing, shelter, that if it is raining, if there is flooding, that you are protected from the elements; that you can come home in comfort; that there is some level of privacy and security that you can study and do your homework.  You know how that lifts the spirits and gives confidence to our children and allows them to focus and study? We take all these things for granted but it is so very important”.

At West Albion, two units were handed over to recipients Louise Williams and Paula Williams.

Prime Minister Holness explained that a robust selection process devoid of partisan considerations is in place, to ensure that only deserving persons who are most in need receive the houses,

“This is why we call it the HOPE programme. It is about restoring the legitimacy of government as the agent of change in the lives of people…  We are really seeking to deal with those who are living in the worst conditions”, the Prime Minister said.

The New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) which falls under the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation operates under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme conceptualized by the Prime Minister and implemented in 2018.

Its aim is to improve the quality of housing for Jamaica’s neediest citizens.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, disclosed that an allocation of J$841.5 million was made in the Constant Spring Water Treatment Plant.

“A key component of this treatment facility are the two (2) clear water storage reservoirs consisting of 5 individual cells: Nos. 2, 3, 4 & 5, which are combined while cell No. 1 is a ‘stand-alone’ structure. The works on cell No. 1 were completed at a cost of $447 million and the other cells received works totaling $394.5 million,” Minister Samuda outlined.

His remarks came yesterday (April 27, 2023), during a tour of the treatment plant where he expressed satisfaction at the work done to upgrade the Constant Spring Treatment Plant in St. Andrew.

“In 2019, the infrastructure was so bad that the roofs collapsed.  It prompted us to do significant work in the area”, he noted.

“Prior to that investment, this facility would have leaked 4 and a half million gallons a day.  Certainly, in a drought like the one we are having, we would not have been able to afford four and a half million gallons a day of leakage”, stated Minister Samuda.

The Minister stated that the upgrading work to the tanks and the facility will benefit approximately 40,000 persons along Constant Spring Road down to Cross Roads and along Washington Boulevard to Pembroke Hall.

Minister Samuda added that the investment forms part of the broader strategy to ensure the complete renovation, restoration, and the creation of a “renaissance” for the water sector in Jamaica.

However, he noted that the process would take several billion dollars and support from partners such as Vinci, local and overseas contractors, as well as support from the capital markets.

The Constant Spring Water Treatment Plant is one of the NWC’s major production facilities with a design capacity of 20 million imperial gallons per day.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the Government will be pursuing amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act in this financial year.

Speaking yesterday (April 25, 2023) during the launch of the regional CoralCarib Project at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Minister Samuda said the amendments to are geared towards stemming the critical decline in the island’s coral reef structures.

“These amendments will facilitate increased fines and penalties which will assist greatly in deterring activities that are detrimental to the health of our reefs,” Minister Samuda said.

The Minister also disclosed that the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is developing and implementing the Action Plan for Corals and Reefs in Jamaica (2018-2023).

“The Plan seeks to conserve the island’s reef structures so that they can continue to provide vital ecosystem functions and services” he noted.

Jamaica is a member of several regional and international initiatives that support the management of the country’s marine and coastal environments including its biodiversity.

Minister Samuda stated that “the CoralCarib Project will complement the measures that the government is currently pursuing, to conserve the island’s marine and coastal ecosystems, particularly our coral reefs”.

The CoralCarib Project launch was held under the theme “A Climate Smart Approach to Coral Reef Conservation in the Caribbean.  It aims to improve marine biodiversity in 1,871 hectares of priority coral reef ecosystems in four targeted countries, namely Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.

The Project has received grant funding totaling 6.3million Euros from the International Climate Initiative and the Federal Government of Germany to execute its initiatives.

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The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation is expected to deliver between ten thousand and thirteen thousand black tanks to rural communities this year.

This follows the announcement made by Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness in his 2023 budget presentation that 50 thousand black tanks would be provided to rural communities as secondary storage methods over a three-year period, to significantly improve the water resilience of these communities.

Minister without Portfolio, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, outlined the approach to the first thirteen thousand tanks yesterday (April 20, 2023) during the commissioning of the Mitchell Town Pipeline Replacement Project in South-Eastern Clarendon.

“This is particularly important, not just because secondary storage is important, but because the NWC’s utility footprint has a start and an endpoint. There are communities that are outside of the utility footprint of the NWC and the Parish Council systems. There are communities that need help right now, and this is one of the ways that we can help”.

Minister Samuda noted that the programme would involve more than just providing the tanks for households.

“We will be including a rainwater harvesting component with every single one of these tanks, meaning we will provide the guttering and collection. We are also going to be training young men and women in communities to do the installation and providing them with a stipend and teaching them in plumbing,” the Minister disclosed.

He added that the tanks will be geo-tagged.

“When we know where secondary storage exists, we are able to plot routes for trucking during times of crisis or dry periods. It makes an inefficient system worse when people are coming out with buckets as opposed to you putting the hose in the tank, and filling the tank properly, ensuring the least possible wastage,” explained Minister Samuda.

The Mitchell Town Pipeline Replacement project began last year June and was completed at a cost of approximately $25 million. It is expected to serve the Mitchell Town Housing Scheme, New Town Phases I and II, Moneymusk Housing Scheme, Lionel Town, Rocky Point and Portland Cottage.

 

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Significant work is to be carried out by the National Water Commission (NWC) over the next three years to supply potable water and increase sanitation for the people of St. Ann.

This was disclosed by Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda during a ribbon-cutting ceremony today (April 20, 2023) for the Mamee Bay Water Wheel Preservation and Beautification Project in St. Ann.

“I am here acknowledging the work that has been done on this water wheel and using it as an opportunity to state that within the next three years, in excess of 500 million of capital will be deployed into the upgrading of water systems in St. Ann.  That is nothing small.  That is a particularly large investment in the distribution, storage, and processing capacity for water for the citizens of St Ann”, the Minister stated.

He noted that significant work has been carried out in the parish with the commissioning of the Exchange and Bonham Spring Water Supply system, as well as the Liberty Storage Tank Replacement Project which have brought benefits to both the residents served by these systems as well as the National Water Commission.

Minister Samuda hailed the ingenuity of the Jamaican people in creating the water wheel, noting that it was a particularly important monument, as it is one of the first water supply technologies that was instrumental to the development of Jamaica’s agricultural sector.

“Jamaica led the way and provided potable water in many of its parish centres before much of the developed world, but we have fallen behind and I think in recent times, we have been playing our part to catch up”, stated Minister Samuda.

Minister Samuda emphasized that the legacy of this administration will be providing water by turning on the taps every single Thursday for people who have not had it for decades.

Last year, the Tourism Product Development Company and the NWC signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the preservation and beautification of the Mamee Bay Water Wheel.

Under the agreement, the NWC provided 3.4 million dollars for the paving, fencing, and lighting of the water wheel and its environs, while the TPDCO and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust carried out preservation activities, including signage and landscaping.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was also addressed by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, and Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grange.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says Jamaica continues to set a defence against the current and impending climate change-related threats.

“Jamaica has been building resilience to climate change through Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) best practices. In terms of aspects related to the theme of ESG, Jamaica has generally tried to set a defence against the current and impending climate change-related threats,” stated Minister Samuda.

Minister Samuda made the comments while participating in a virtual High – Level Panel Discussion on ESG Legislation at the Island Finance Forum yesterday (April 19).

He went on to list some of the initiatives being implemented by the Government.

“We are looking to improve our planning frameworks and we will prepare a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in the coming years, accompanied by a financial strategy and investment plan. This is to be led by our Planning Institute of Jamaica as the agency leading national development. Also, a long-term strategy for climate change is being undertaken”.

Minister Samuda added that “long-term planning is key for setting the direction toward climate resilience and encouraging investment. Therefore, the Jamaican Government is in the process of developing its Long-Term Low Emission and Climate Resilience Strategy (LTS or Pathway 2050) to pave the way for carbon neutrality, all while creating a more resilient society in the face of climate change”.

The Minister also mentioned the CityAdapt EbA, which is a “project implemented to increase the capacity of governments and local communities to adapt to the effects of climate change by integrating Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) into urban planning”.

In referencing the legislative work being undertaken by the government to bolster Jamaica’s resilience, Minister Samuda advised the Panel “that the Parliament recently approved an updated Climate Change Policy Framework (CCPF), an Emission Policy Framework for Jamaica and a new ‘Watersheds Policy’ Green Paper, which were approved in March 2023”.

The Island Finance Forum brings together leading experts in sustainable finance and development and highlights the unique financial challenges being faced by global island communities and the solutions for sustainable economic recovery and inclusive growth.

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