Gov’t Receives US$5-Million Grant to Support National Reconstruction Programme

The Government has formalised a US$5-million grant agreement with the European Union (EU) and the World Bank to bolster the country’s capacity to deliver the national reconstruction and resilience programme.

The agreement, in support of the Jamaica Hurricane Melissa Reconstruction Implementation Support Project, was signed at the AC Hotel in St. Andrew on September 22.

It will support the planning and management of the reconstruction programme, including putting in place procedures and systems to monitor progress and assure quality, risk-informed planning and engineering designs, and costings, procurement strategy, and contract management.

The World Bank will be implementing the grant, made available by the EU, and will be working closely with the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) to execute the various activities.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said that the grant will support the systems, technical capacity and institutional discipline required to deliver reconstruction effectively.

“The grant is an investment in the capacity of NaRRA to deliver our projects efficiently and effectively and to create the institutional knowledge that will stay here,” he said.

Dr. Holness thanked the EU for the support and the World Bank for its assistance.

“You have been constant and reliable partners, and Jamaica is grateful for your support,” he said.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, said that the grant represents one of the largest single acts of grant support to the country since the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

“The US$5-million grant will help Jamaica build the capacity to build. It will pay for people, engineers, procurement specialists, project managers – the people who make certain a school is not merely rebuilt but rebuilt so it is still standing after the next hurricane, because reconstruction on this scale is not one project, it is thousands,” she stated.

Division Director for the Caribbean, World Bank, Dr. Achim Fock, in his remarks, pointed out that the grant supports technical services for the planning, prioritisation, management and delivery of reconstruction and resilient investments.

He said that the World Bank will provide complementary technical assistance in related areas to the Government of Jamaica.

“While this grant will not directly finance reconstruction, it will help to create the conditions for reconstruction investments to be prepared and delivered with appropriate resilience standards, credible costs, transparency and value for money, all in a time-sensitive approach.

“In doing so, it supports the Government in managing a complex multi-sector programme at the speed that Jamaica requires, with the accountability that Jamaicans expect. The project is also designed with the future in mind. Its focus is on developing opportunities for Jamaican expertise and innovation, knowledge-sharing, strengthening planning and delivery procedures, and stronger technical capacity that will help Jamaica not only deliver its post-Melissa reconstruction programme but also build the system and capabilities to recover from future shocks,” he said.

Head of the EU Delegation to Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas, Her Excellency, Dr. Erja Askola, said that the organisation is proud to stand with Jamaica from recovery to resilience and from reconstruction to a stronger future.

“Let me reassure you that our support does not stop with NaRRA. The EU continues to work in partnership with Jamaica on many relevant areas for the reconstruction, notably digitalisation, citizen security, and global gateway initiatives such as the Kingston port,” she said.

Chief Executive Officer of NaRRA, Ambassador Major General (Ret’d) Antony Anderson, said that the timely and strategic support will help advance the institutional development of NaRRA.

“NaRRA is committed to ensuring that this partnership is translated into practical capability, measurable results, and lasting national value. There’s much work ahead of us but this partnership gives us another important building block with which to do that work,” he said.