Above: the signing ceremony in New Kingston (JIS Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Regional telecommunications firm LIME is partnering with the government of Jamaica on the “Start-Up Jamaica” initiative.

Through the partnership, LIME will be providing Internet connectivity, furniture and equipment for the programme.

Start-Up Jamaica, a public-private partnership that aims to help support innovators and entrepreneurs in the country, is expected to launch later this year.

The agreement was signed between Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Enegy and Mining Julian Robinson and LIME head of retail Stephen Price in New Kingston on Monday.

Robinson said Start-Up Jamaica aimed to bridge the gap for talented Jamaicans who do not have access to funding, and to capitalize on “great ideas in technology.”

“[This] will make the hosting of content here in Jamaica very easy for them; they don’t have to go and use expensive pipes to go overseas to come back to Jamaica,” he said. “They will have their own Internet exchange.”

The Start-Up Jamaica facility will be located on Duke Street in Kingston.

The government also announced that Middle-Eastern accelerator Oasis500 will invest in local tech entrepreneurs who are interested in going through the process for selection.