The Housing Agency of Jamaica Limited (HAJ) was incorporated on a change of name from the National Housing Development Corporation Limited (NHDC) in September 2008. The Housing Agency of Jamaica Ltd is a land and housing development company that provides shelter solutions for Jamaicans islandwide. Wholly owned by the Government of Jamaica, HAJ falls under the portfolio of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC), and its core services include providing shelter solutions on the open market and upgrading and regularising informal settlements.
The HAJ’s strategic vision for 2025/26 into the medium-term is to significantly increase housing
production, improve the affordability of housing units, upgrade infrastructure in marginalised communities and increase the issuance of certificates of title.
In line with its mandate to provide affordable housing solutions to the low and middle-income earners, HAJ plans to commence construction of 795 housing units and deliver 563 units to the market during the 2025/26 financial year.
To improve access to home ownership for lower income groups, existing informal settlers and
the regularisation of informal communities, the HAJ aims to hand over 208 land titles during the
2025/26 financial year.
HAJ projects a net profit of $725.51 million. To achieve its target, the HAJ staff and Board must uphold strong corporate governance. Let’s take a look at their progress!
The Jamaica Deposit Insurance Corporation (JDIC) was established by the Government of Jamaica on August 31, 1998, to protect depositors and promote confidence and stability in the financial system. Its creation marked a significant step in strengthening Jamaica’s financial regulatory framework.
As a statutory body, the JDIC reports to Parliament through the Minister of Finance and the Public Service, providing operating plans, forecasts, accounts, and other information as required.
The Corporation’s primary objective is to establish and manage a Deposit Insurance Scheme to protect depositors from loss, up to a specified limit.
Its main goals are to:
- Provide the highest level of coverage possible to small depositors.
- Restore and maintain confidence in deposit-taking institutions and by extension contribute to the stability and confidence in the nation’s financial sector.
- Provide a clearly defined system for dealing with problems which may arise in insured financial institutions.
Through the preceding objectives, the Corporation aims to contain contagious runs on financial institutions in the event of a failure of a Policyholder(s).
The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) was set up under the National Solid Waste Management Act 2001 and began working in March 2002. The NSWMA was created to build a better garbage collection system for Jamaica. Before this, companies like MPM, WPM, NEPM, and SPM Waste Management Limited handled waste collection. These companies still collect trash, but now the NSWMA oversees their work.
The NSWMA is financed through property tax contributions from the Parochial Revenue Fund and internal revenue. For the Financial Year 2024/25, the Authority has an approved budget of J$ 4.6 billion, with revised estimates increasing to J$8.5 billion to strengthen solid waste collection and disposal services across Jamaica.
The NSWMA is mandated by law to undertake and ensure that the following functions are executed to: 1. effectively manage solid waste in Jamaica to safeguard public health; 2. Ensure that solid waste is collected, stored, transported, recycled, reused or disposed of, in an environmentally sound manner; 3. Promote public awareness of efficient solid waste management and foster understanding of its importance to the conservation, protection, and proper use of the environment and; 4. Introduce cost recovery measures for services provided by or on behalf of the Authority.
To summarise, the NSWMA’s job is to collect and dispose of garbage properly to keep Jamaica clean and protect public health. To achieve this, the staff and the Board of the NSWMA must ensure there is robust corporate governance. Let’s see how they are doing!!
