KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) is targeting the rollout of $500 million in infrastructure projects in the first quarter of the 2013 to 2014 financial year with special focus on the areas of education and training as well as improved access in the form of roads for farmers and inner city communities.

JSIF said that starting in April, some $100 million is to be spent on education and skills training, while the remainder of approximately $400 million will enhance access for farmers and producers and further increase the quality of road and drainage in urban communities.

The projects will be completed before year-end. Managing Director Scarlette Gillings said Monday that the investments fit within the Government of Jamaica strategy, supporting short and medium term goals.

“Even though we also are experiencing fiscal constraints, the projects are being executed to meet the Government’s goals of  job creation, improved security and human capital development, as well as increasing social inclusion,” she said.

“We are also supporting goals of economic development through the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI),” she added.

Funded with US$15 million from the World Bank Board, the REDI aims to improve market access for micro and small-scale rural agricultural producers and tourism product and service providers.

Five of the eight programmes under which projects are funded through JSIF will come to an end before or by the end of the coming financial year.  

To date, the JSIF has pursued some 430 school-upgrades, which benefited approximately 137,444 directly at a cost of over $2.6 billion. 

In the area of rural access, some 139 roads have been completed, benefitting  223,157 people directly. Communities which are targeted for roadwork’s are those in which farmers have difficulty in getting crops to market or where impassable roads represent a danger to all concerned; with improved roads ensuring access to schools, health clinics and work.