Alison Moore, Jamaica’s pioneering Customs chief, dies at 82

Jamaica is mourning Alison Moore, who broke ground as the country’s first woman to serve as Commissioner of Customs. She died on Sunday at the age of 82 following a period of illness.

Acting CEO and Customs Commissioner Kirk Benjamin cast Moore as far more than a trailblazing official or a parent. He called her a nation builder and the spark behind the modernisation now reshaping the Jamaica Customs Agency.

Speaking to CVM News, Benjamin said: “She was the one who started the modernization thrust that we are on today. So, you know she would have started it and subsequent commissioners would have taken it step further. So, she did lay a solid foundation for the agency that you see today. And so, you know, we really miss her um know we want to say to Dion and to the rest of the family our deepest condolence. Your mother was a nation builder.”

Benjamin added that she performed strongly in her time of service and that her imprint endures. He recalled that Moore recognised his potential to eventually steer operations — a judgment fulfilled roughly 24 years later when he rose to acting CEO and commissioner.

Moore held the commissioner’s post from 1992 to 2004, closing a 41-year stretch in the public service marked by professionalism, integrity, and quiet resilience. Peers in the civil service, political leaders, and members of the business community regarded her as a steady hand devoted to fortifying Jamaica’s customs system.

Her daughter, Dion Forbes, recalled her as a quiet giant whose power showed through steady guidance and kindness rather than volume. Forbes said those closest to Moore will especially cherish her humility and selfless outlook.

In 2016 the Jamaica Customs Agency paid tribute by dedicating the Alison Moore multi-purpose room at Customs House in Kingston. Benjamin noted: “There’s no other place that bears the name of anyone. Whether it be a minister, whether it be a commissioner, the only place that bears the name of a former commissioner or anyone is her multi-purpose room. That’s the only room. So, it must say that the testament of the woman.”

The Jamaican government also awarded her the Order of Distinction in the Commander class for her yeoman service.

She leaves her daughter, siblings, other relatives, and friends. Details of the funeral will be released later.