Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has unveiled his new Cabinet, bringing back familiar names while making notable additions to the Senate.
The Cabinet sees the return of Andrew Wheatley and Robert Montague, both reinstated as Ministers without Portfolio. Wheatley will focus on science, technology and special projects from the Office of the Prime Minister, while Montague takes charge of land titling and settlements in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development. Robert Morgan also joins that ministry with responsibility for works. Another new addition is Ambassador Audrey Marks, named Minister without Portfolio in the OPM with responsibility for efficiency, innovation, and digital transformation.
Holness himself retains the portfolios of Prime Minister, Defence, and Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development. Dr. Horace Chang remains Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Peace, while Dr. Christopher Tufton continues at Health and Wellness and Fayval Williams takes on Finance and the Public Service. Other senior figures remain in place, including Edmund Bartlett (Tourism), Kamina Johnson Smith (Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade), Olivia “Babsy” Grange (Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport), Delroy Chuck (Justice), Dana Morris Dixon (Education, Skills, Youth and Information), Aubyn Hill (Industry, Investment and Commerce), Desmond McKenzie (Local Government and Rural Development), Pearnel Charles Jr. (Labour and Social Security), Daryl Vaz (Transport, Telecommunications and Energy), Floyd Green (Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining), and Matthew Samuda (Water, Environment and Climate Change).
Notably absent from the lineup is a replacement for Marlene Malahoo-Forte, the previous Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
The Senate list also carries significance, with businessman Keith Duncan among the new appointees. Duncan, who serves as Group CEO of JMMB and chairman of Jamaica’s Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), is widely regarded as one of the country’s leading voices on economic reform and fiscal responsibility. His appointment is especially notable as he replaces the late Don Wehby, another respected businessman who straddled both the private sector and politics. Wehby’s passing earlier this year left a gap in the Senate that Duncan is now positioned to fill, bringing continuity to the tradition of business leaders contributing to national policy.
Also reappointed is veteran senator and former Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson, alongside other familiar names such as Kamina Johnson Smith, Aubyn Hill, Dana Morris Dixon, Sherene Golding Campbell, Abka Fitz-Henley, Charles Sinclair, Kavan Gayle, Marlon Morgan, and Dr. Elon Thompson. Christian Tavares-Finson and Rose Marie Bennett-Cooper are the other new additions to round out the 13-member slate.
Holness, in a statement, underscored that the appointments are aligned with his administration’s historic 2025 mandate to transform Jamaica into a peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous nation.
