You are here
Home | Jamaican Government to Boosts Bauxite Community Development Programme with J$400M Investment
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, delivering his 2025/26 Sectoral Presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, 27 May.
The Government of Jamaica (GOJ), through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, will be strengthening its commitment to the continued upliftment and empowerment of bauxite communities by increasing funding to the Bauxite Community Development Programme (BCDP).
The BCDP, which, since its inception in 1996, has facilitated the implementation of 400 projects in over 300 communities at a cost of approximately J$700 million, is expected to receive a potential J$400 million for Phase 8 of the programme, set for the 2025–2028 period.
During his 2025/26 Sectoral presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 27), Portfolio Minister Hon. Floyd Green said the previous phase of the project saw J$200 million being expended on over 100 projects to date, benefiting communities in the bauxite-producing parishes of Manchester, Clarendon, St Elizabeth, St Catherine, and St Ann.
“35 major infrastructure projects, including upgrades to the Alexandria Hospital and the Black River Hospital. We supported poultry farmers, we supported education, we supported roads,” Green pointed out.
“One of the big things that the Jamaica Bauxite Institute does is take former mined lands put greenhouse clusters on it so that agriculture can strive. 75% of our greenhouse clusters that were damaged by Beryl are now back in production,” he added.
The mining minister said that under Phase 8, J$100 million will be earmarked to improve water supply, J$70 million for investments in education, and J$100 million for infrastructure development.
“We are already working on a water supply project under Operation Piped Water, which I announced last year, to bring water to 440 households and 2,000 residents in southern Manchester,” he outlined.
Minister Green emphasised that these initiatives under the BCDP will all play a significant role in ensuring sustainable growth in bauxite communities.
-30-
