Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has confirmed that the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority Bill has now been assented into law, formally establishing the framework for the country’s accelerated reconstruction and resilience programme following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
The new law provides the legal foundation for the work of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), which will coordinate and drive major reconstruction and resilience projects.
Prime Minister Holness said the passage of the legislation marks an important step in Jamaica’s recovery and long-term development agenda.
“The passage of the NaRRA legislation is a decisive step in Jamaica’s national reconstruction effort. Hurricane Melissa caused significant damage, but it has also created an opportunity for us to rebuild in a way that is stronger, faster, better coordinated and more resilient. NaRRA will allow us to move with the urgency that this moment requires, while maintaining the discipline, transparency and accountability that the Jamaican people expect.”
The Prime Minister has also announced that list of priority reconstruction and resilience projects is now being considered by Cabinet. These projects will form part of a coordinated national programme aimed at restoring damaged infrastructure, strengthening public assets, improving service delivery and supporting long-term economic growth.
The Prime Minister emphasised that the reconstruction process will be approached as a national development programme.
“We are not replacing what was damaged. We are using this moment to improve the quality, durability and resilience of Jamaica’s infrastructure. The projects being considered must support better roads, stronger bridges, safer communities, more reliable public services and greater productivity across the country.”
The members of Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee (JAMRROC), the independent public oversight body for the reconstruction programme, will be named in short order.
JAMRROC will play a key role in strengthening public confidence in the reconstruction process by supporting independent oversight, transparency and accountability. The Government has said that the reconstruction programme will be supported by mechanisms including public reporting, audited financial statements, performance indicators, ministerial oversight and a public electronic register of approved reconstruction and resilience projects.
The Prime Minister said the Government is committed to ensuring that reconstruction is carried out with speed, but not at the expense of good governance.
“Speed and accountability must work together. Jamaica cannot afford delay, but neither can we afford weak systems, poor planning or a lack of transparency. NaRRA has been designed to deliver reconstruction with urgency, discipline and integrity. The people of Jamaica must be able to see what is being done, where it is being done, what it costs, and whether it is being delivered on time.”
The passage of the NaRRA law follows extensive work across Government and with local and international partners to design a reconstruction framework that can respond to the scale of the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa while embedding stronger standards of resilience, climate adaptation, fiscal discipline and institutional accountability.
Further updates will be provided as the priority project list is finalised and the members of JAMRROC are announced.
