Holness tables bill to create NaRRA for post-Melissa recovery

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has tabled legislation to establish the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), a special-purpose body aimed at fast-tracking Jamaica’s post-Hurricane Melissa rebuilding.

Holness said the authority will be overseen by a body modelled on the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), to be called the Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee (JAMRROC).

JAMROC will be chaired by Peter Blair Henry, a senior fellow at Stanford University, a top-ranked institution in the United States.

Holness, who was making his contribution to the Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, said NaRRA's “first and most consequential mandate will be to prepare a comprehensive project and economic plan to be delivered within the next four years.”

The NaRRA was announced in November last year following Hurricane Melissa. Lawmakers will debate the bill before it is approved.

On Tuesday during his contribution to the debate, Opposition Leader Mark Golding criticised the Government for not tabling the legislation to established NaRRA in law. It is currently operating as a department in the Office of the Cabinet.

Today, Holness framed NaRRA as a key body behind his administration's “transformative vision for Jamaica” through several national projects across the country. He noted that the Government will relocate key civic facilities inland in Black River, Falmouth and Lucea to reduce risks from rising sea levels.

The plan also includes a new waterfront district in Montego Bay and the conversion of Vernamfield into an inland aviation hub.

“Too often, promising opportunities have gone elsewhere to countries that are simply more nimble. We cannot allow this to continue,” Holness said during his contribution to the National Budget Debate in the House of Representatives.

He said the Government is advancing two complementary reforms—one focused on improving how infrastructure is delivered, and the other on attracting and accelerating transformational private investment.

“NRRA will have special powers to accelerate development approvals and procurement, enabling the execution of resilient infrastructure projects at a scale and speed this country has never seen before,” the prime minister said.

“NRRA is not only about project delivery, but also about connecting projects to create new economic opportunities in areas affected by the disaster and to drive rapid economic expansion.”

Holness also pointed to Jamaica’s US$6.7 million recovery package from international institutions following last October’s hurricane, noting that independent financial oversight is a key lesson learned.

Holness said the search for a chief executive officer for the NRRA is well advanced, with five candidates shortlisted and evaluation already under way.

He also announced a complementary initiative aimed at improving investment attraction.

“A complementary reform to NaRRA addresses the investment attraction problem. We will introduce a new framework called Fast Jamaica — the Facilitated Acceleration of Strategic Transformation. This will form part of our growth-inducement strategy through investment,” he said.

“Fast Jamaica will establish a dedicated pathway to fast-track strategic priority investment projects critical to Jamaica’s economic transformation, particularly those valued at US$150 million or more.”

- Corey Robinson

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