Ambassador Anderson Ready to Drive Jamaica’s Post-Disaster Reconstruction

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), Ambassador Major General (Ret’d) Antony Anderson, is indicating his suitability and readiness to lead the entity charged with coordinating the next phase of Jamaica’s infrastructure development.

Speaking with JIS CEO, Giovanni Dennis at Jamaica House on Tuesday (June 3), in his first interview as head of NaRRA, Ambassador Anderson said he comes to the role with a proven track record in construction and complex project management.

“If you’re going to run something large and complex, it suits you to have done that before,” he said, citing his practical experience in directing massive military engineering operations at the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).

“During the 2000s, for a portion of that, I ran the engineer regiment of the JDF and responded to two hurricanes, Gustav and Ivan, as the head of the engineering part of the Force. As a matter of fact, between small and large projects, I had like 250 of them running at the same time… construction projects of different scales,” the new CEO shared.

He noted that he also worked with the National Housing Trust (NHT) on several inner-city housing developments.

Ambassador Anderson pointed out that his experience in construction started at the University of Technology (UTech) where he studied electrical engineering.

“When I was at UTech… I worked construction initially and construction supervision in the summers,” he noted.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, in announcing Ambassador Anderson’s appointment on May 27, noted his proven skills in leading national institutions.

“He led two of the most important institutions in Jamaica – the JDF (Jamaica Defence Force) and the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force). In both instances, he designed and implemented transformational programmes in both institutions,” he said.

Dr. Holness noted that Ambassador Anderson, whose appointment became effective on June 1, brings valuable experience from working with international financial institutions and in international contracting.

“As fate would have it, I had tasked him to review the State’s response to Hurricane Beryl, which would have included a review of all the entities involved in the response… but specifically a review of ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management)]. So, he is already in proximity to these issues,” the Prime said.

The Prime Minister disclosed that 85 applications were received for the post of CEO, from which seven candidates were shortlisted, including three Jamaicans.

Meanwhile Ambassador Anderson said he is committed to transparent leadership, noting that he has a track record of keeping the public informed at every organisation in which he has served.

He told JIS News that NaRRA’s accountability model will be based on international best practices.

“There are a few models out there that we have been looking at. There are trusted software, processes, programmes and so on. These things are known already and are acceptable to donors, funding institutions, financing institutions and so on,” the CEO said.

He emphasised that the key is to establish credible systems up front as the organisation is being developed.

Ambassador Anderson told JIS News that his goal is to ensure that NaRRA makes “a significant and lasting legacy, difference to how we do business in Jamaica, and to our landscape, our development trajectory and our growth”.

NaRRA will serve as the central coordinating authority for post-hurricane Melissa reconstruction, with a mandate to eliminate bureaucracy, reduce fragmentation, and prevent project delays.