Integrity Commission flags $370 billion in emergency and single-source contracts as Fantan Mojah dies

Jamaica’s latest national update is led by concern from the Integrity Commission, which says public procurement continues to rely heavily on non-competitive methods. According to the anti-corruption body, 70% of more than 34,000 government contracts awarded in the last financial year were issued through single-source or emergency channels, with a total value of $370 billion.

The entertainment sector is also in mourning following the death of reggae performer Fantan Mojah, born Owen Moncrieffe. He died last night at the University Hospital of the West Indies at age 49.

Road safety authorities are intensifying measures to bring the annual death toll on Jamaica’s roads below 300, with stronger attention on motorcycle users and other vulnerable groups. Official traffic data show that up to July 14, the country recorded 148 fatal crashes and 163 deaths.

Government officials have started evaluating the Jamaica Public Service report on the islandwide power outage that took place on June 5. Energy Minister Daryl Vaz said an inter-ministerial team is reviewing the report’s findings to establish what caused the outage and to identify steps that can improve the resilience of the electricity system.

In regional and international sport, the Jamaica Olympic Association is looking to performances at the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Commonwealth Games to build momentum ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Jamaica is set to take part in 37 disciplines across the two meets, which begin in the coming days.

At midday foreign-exchange trading, the selling rate stood at J$159.21 for one US dollar, J$217.27 for one British pound, and J$115.16 for one Canadian dollar. The weather outlook for Thursday morning calls for partly cloudy conditions in eastern parishes, while afternoon showers and thunderstorms are forecast mainly for western sections. Other areas are expected to be sunny, hazy and windy.