news, nhwcAugust 14, 2023

National Road Safety Council, JN Foundation and FIA Foundation Sign Agreement to Promote Helmet Wearing

Earl Jarrett (left), chief executive officer of The Jamaica National Group; Aggie Krasnolucka (centre), programmes director of the FIA Foundation and Dr Lucien Jones, vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council sign an agreement  to execute a project which will see the establishment of a National Helmet Wearing Coalition, mandated to advocate for increased helmet wearing among riders and pillions, the use of approved helmets, as well as to stimulate the helmet market. Looking on (from left standing) are Kenya-Amber Beek, project coordinator at the JN Foundation; Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation and Omar Wright, lead, Environment and Community Development Programmes at the JN Foundation. The signing took place on Thursday, August 10 at the Corporate Office of The Jamaica National Group on Oxford Road in Kingston.

The JN Foundation and the National Road Safety Council, in collaboration with the FIA Foundation, signed an agreement to execute a project which will see the establishment of a National Helmet Wearing Coalition, mandated to advocate for increased helmet wearing among riders and pillions, the use of approved helmets, as well as to stimulate the helmet market.

The agreement for the project was formally signed on Thursday, August 10 by Aggie Krasnolucka, programmes director of the FIA Foundation, who is in the island for the event, Earl Jarrett, chief executive officer and deputy chairman of The Jamaica National Group and Dr Lucien Jones, vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council.

The three-year agreement, called the National Helmet Wearing Coalition Project will be funded by the FIA Foundation to the tune of $750,000 euro, with supplementary funding from JN Group Limited.

In commending the partnership, Dr Jones said that this is a “landmark partnership that is expected to positively influence road safety promotion especially among bikers. And given the huge numbers of bikers dying every year, and suffering severe head injuries because, inter alia, they are not wearing helmets, the proper execution of the project could be a game changer for road safety in Jamaica.”

Earl Jarrett said the partnership with the National Road Safety Council and the FIA Foundation is a timely one and an agreement that is expected to have far reaching impact.

“The Jamaica National Group, through the JN Foundation, is happy to be part of this agreement. We are a staunch advocate of road safety and preserving lives of road users. We believe that this project, when implemented, will reduce road fatalities among motorcyclists,” he said.

Aggie Krasnolucka of the FIA Foundation said she was happy to be part of this partnership and looks forward to meaningful results emerging. 

“FIA Foundation supports the ‘Vision Zero’ approach which seeks to redesign transportation to put people first; to engineer and manage highways, streets and vehicles within a ‘Safe System’ where no death or serious injury is accepted. This agreement today is a testament of our commitment to reduce deaths on our roads globally,” she said.

The first phase of the project will commence with the execution of research to provide a baseline that will inform the work of the project going forward. A comprehensive stakeholder mapping and engagement exercise will be undertaken to examine and understand the current situation relating to helmets and helmet wearing in Jamaica.

This will be followed by the development of an action plan highlighting key milestones and policy objectives that will guide the activities of the National Helmet Wearing Coalition during and beyond the timeframe of the project.

The final phase of the project will see the execution of activities agreed upon by the National Helmet Wearing Coalition, as outlined in the Action Plan. These activities would be informed by phases one and two and implemented through the coalition’s programme of work. As part of the Coalition’s monitoring and evaluation, it may require having working groups and parish committees to drive the execution of activities within the plan.

According to the National Road Safety Council, since 2012, approximately 600 motorcyclists have been killed on Jamaican roads. All were men. Data from the Ministry of Transport and the Jamaica Constabulary Force indicate that these deaths account for approximately 30% of total deaths caused by road crashes in Jamaica over the period, and that over 90% of those who died were not wearing a helmet.

“It is in that context of saving the lives of many young men, thus sparing their families grief and pain, and allowing them to live rich and fruitful lives contributing to national development as outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals into which road safety has been inserted, that the NRSC and JN Foundation in partnership with FIA Foundation believe that this project could be a game changer for Jamaica’s future,” said Dr Jones. 

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newsAugust 14, 2023

AI in Fintech Can Address Financial Inclusion – Claudine Allen

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation, says the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Fintech (financial technology) has the potential to promote financial inclusion by opening access to financial services to people who have very little access.

Miss Allen made the assertion while addressing the JN Foundation virtual summer camp recently, which was held under the theme ‘Building Future FinTech Innovators: Skills for Life’.

“Here in Jamaica, while most persons will go into a bank with relative ease, it is not the case for some countries across the world and you would be surprised at how reliant people are on remote banking services,” she said.

“Think about those persons who are at work when banks are typically open. Technology has changed this by making banking services accessible anywhere, and at any time,” she added.

Expanding on the term financial inclusion, she cited the World Bank’s definition as “individuals and businesses having access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs and are delivered in a responsible and sustainable way.”

Shanna Kaye Wright Vaughn (centre), lead, Youth and Education Programmes, JN Foundation makes a point to Ann-toniann Johnson (left) and Ashley Fender, participants in the JN Foundation summer camp.

She also noted that, according to the Bank of Jamaica (BoJ), financial inclusion enables the underbanked and the unbanked to better undertake and grow business activities, save safely in the financial sector, manage risks and build financial security.

“It all boils down to helping people to access financing that will ultimately help them live better lives. They can save, invest, borrow, insure and generate wealth for themselves and their families. And, that’s a good thing for them, and for our country,” she pointed out.

This is the second year that the summer camp was being held and is powered by the JN Financial Academy, which was launched in 2022 with the aim to empower JN members to achieve financial freedom by providing information, training, and mentorship, to help them make better financial decisions.

Participants in the JN Foundation summer camp take a group photo.

Shanna Kaye Wright Vaughn, Lead, Youth and Education Programmes, JN Foundation noted that, “The key objectives of the summer camp were to introduce high school to the unique skills and attributes needed to succeed in today’s technologically advanced society especially with the changing financial sector and focused on careers and other opportunities in tech. We also sought to empower participants to seek out and build on positive contributions to technology for nation building,”.

The summer camp, which attracted some 300 participants, saw them being introduced to the key features of the new Jamaican dollar notes and the importance of the transition. A tour of the Money Museum at the BOJ was also a key feature for a selection of participants.

Presenters at the camp were Luigi Allen, customer success account manager, Microsoft, USA and former JN Foundation scholar, who spoke on his personal career journey in tech; Diamond King, youth banking officer, Youth Banking Unit, JN Bank, who showcased how the JN Group has been ‘Positioning YOUth for Financial Success’.

Danielle Mullings, software engineer and youth leader discussed how youth can align technology to their own success through strategic planning, volunteering and networking and Garvin Grandison, manager, regulatory reporting, JN Bank, shared an ‘Introduction to Financial Planning’.

Jaymeon Jones, a Web 3 Enthusiast, marketer and chief executive officer of Yaad Labs, spoke on his journey in ‘Tech Entrepreneurship’ which included the financial and mental pros and cons and Garfield Rodriquez, Cyber Security Analyst, JN Group presented on ‘Cyber Security: Staying Safe Online’.

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