European Commission head of delegation to Jamaica, Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni. - File

Jamaica has received a $255 million (€2.5 million) grant from the European Union, the first tranche of a billion dollar programme aimed at fashioning a more efficient road system.

The agreement, referred to as the Road Sector Budget Support and Institutional Strengthening Programme, is valued at $1.225 billion (€12.25 million) and financed by the 9th European Development Fund (EDF).

Two components

The programme has two components: a $1 billion (€10 million) allocation to be disbursed through the budget; and the J$225 million in technical assistance and equipment supplies to strengthen the management capacity of Jamaican institutions involved in road maintenance. The road programme is guided by the new National Transportation Policy.

The first tranche of $255 million - handed over to Prime Minister Bruce Golding on February 26 by European Commission head of delegation to Jamaica, Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni - relates to the budget support component and is the first in a schedule of three disbursements.

The next tranche, $250 million (€2.5 million), will be released after Cabinet has approved the Road Maintenance Master Plan, the EU's Kingston office said in a release.

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