World Bank Approves $29 Million Loan to Improve a Dozen Jamaican Communities

The World Bank´s Board of directors on Wednesday approved a $29.3 million loan to improve the quality of life for the urban poor residing in 12 Jamaican communities.

The money will be used to improve access to basic urban infrastructure, financial services, land tenure regularization, enhanced community capacity and improvements in public safety.

“Jamaica has identified inner-city renewal with a focus on crime and violence prevention as a key priority,” said Caroline Anstey, World Bank country director for the Caribbean. “We hope this new program will not only help renew Jamaica´s inner cities, but will also improve the lives of poor Jamaicans by improving basic services,” she said.

The project is expected to increase access and improve the quality of water, sanitation, solid waste collection systems, electricity, roads, drainage and related community infrastructure for over 60,000 residents of poor urban informal settlements through capital investments and innovative arrangements for operations and maintenance.

At the same time, it will facilitate access to microfinance for enterprise development and incremental home improvement for entrepreneurs and residents in project areas, and increase security of tenure for eligible households in project areas

The new program comes 11 months after the World Bank approved the institution´s Country Assistance Strategy for Jamaica, which projects financial assistance of up to $150 million between 2006 and 2009, as well as technical and advisory assistance.