KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Cabinet has approved the disposal of 75 per cent ordinary shares of Seprod Limited, held by the Coconut Industry Board.

This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid, at a post-Cabinet press briefing, held at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), in Kingston, on Tuesday.

Reid said proceeds of the sale will be turned over to the Accountant General as a special distribution, in keeping with the financial distribution policy for public bodies.

Meanwhile, Senator Reid informed that Cabinet has approved the change of name from the Bureau of Women’s Affairs to the Bureau of Gender Affairs.

At a business forum on March 16, in support of International Women’s Day, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, had informed of the submission to Cabinet for the change of name.

She noted that a key feature of the agency will be the “re-establishment of the male desk, because it is not just about us, it is not just about women. It is also about our men, particularly our young men affected by marginalization.”

Grange pointed out that more emphasis will be placed on the National Policy for Gender Equality (NPGE), which was developed through a series of widespread consultations among key stakeholders, using a mainstreaming approach, and was approved by Cabinet on March 1, 2011.

The NPGE was designed to establish a framework for a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to fully integrate gender in every area of national life.

“The implementation of the Policy is therefore, geared towards achieving equal treatment for women and men,” Grange said.