Caribbean News
JAMAICA: Prime Minister hands over 52 Housing Solutions in Westmoreland
Montego Bay, 6 December, 2019 – Jamaica – Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, today (December 4), handed over 52 housing solutions in Darliston Grove and Shrewsbury, in Westmoreland.
Mr. Holness presented keys to families for 29 detached units in Darliston Grove and 23 detached units in Shrewsbury. They are the first set of beneficiaries in the island to receive housing units under the National Housing Trust (NHT) Labour and Small Materials Programme (LSMP).
In his address, the Prime Minister said the Government is committed to ensuring that every Jamaican has a fair chance of owning his or her own home and residing in a secure environment.
Mr. Holness congratulated the new homeowners and lauded the NHT on delivering the new houses. He said the agency has been following the Government’s mandate to build housing solutions for the hard-working men and women of Jamaica.
“It was in early 2017 that I broke ground at Darliston and Shrewsbury, and I told you that I would be delivering six housing developments totalling 1,493 housing solutions in the parish of Westmorland under the NHT’s four-year housing programme,” the Prime Minister said.
“So, I have to thank the Board of the NHT for doing such a wonderful job in ensuring that these projects come to fruition in short order,” he added.
Mr. Holness further stated that the NHT has been making steady progress in achieving its target of developing 23,000 housing solutions in Jamaica by 2021. He noted that this objective is being propelled through public-private partnerships that are being encouraged through various programmes.
For her part, NHT Board Director, Nesta-Claire Hunter, said the agency remains committed to empowering and improving the quality of life for all Jamaicans through homeownership.
“For us at the NHT, these houses represent more than just fulfilling targets. For us, they signify the building of a nation one block, one home and one community at a time,” she said.
New homeowner of Darliston Grove, Cosmo Grant, told JIS News that getting the keys to a new home has been an overwhelming experience for him and his family.
“We want to thank the NHT and the Government for what they have created here in Darliston, and it is my intention that we keep this scheme free from violence, and make sure it is clean all the way through,” he said.
Contact: Okoye Henry
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
Header: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre), is surrounded by new homeowners of the Darliston Grove and Shrewsbury communities in Westmoreland, at the National Housing Trust (NHT) handover ceremony, on Wednesday, December 4.
1st insert: Savanna-la-Mar’s Mayor, Councillor Bertel Moore (right), presents keys to one of the housing solutions in Darliston Grove, Westmoreland, to grandmother, Cynthia Turner; her son, Jorrean Hill, and her grandchildren, at a National Housing Trust (NHT) handover ceremony on Wednesday, December 4. Keys to the Shrewsbury housing solutions were also handed over.
2nd insert: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, tours one of the housing solutions in Darliston Grove, Westmoreland, following a National Housing Trust (NHT) handover ceremony on Wednesday, December 4. Keys to the Shrewsbury housing solutions were also handed over.
Yhomo Hutchinson Photos
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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