Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government is committed to fiscal discipline and transparency in the recovery and rebuilding process following Hurricane Melissa. He stressed that every dollar spent, including private contributions, will be accounted for and measured by tangible results.
“One of the reasons we are able to galvanise the multilateral community is because of the sacrifice and great effort that we, as a people, have collectively made in ensuring that we have fiscal discipline rooted in our political culture, in our economics and in our civic and social affairs,” the Prime Minister noted.
“It is well appreciated and understood that the Government of Jamaica must be fiscally responsible and that as a country we will use resources from the international community and our own taxes in the best and most frugal way, in the smartest way. So, we intend to continue this through the development process,” he added.
Dr. Holness, who is also Chairman of CARICOM, spoke during a tour with CARICOM Heads of Government and international donor partners in Whitehouse, Westmoreland, on Monday (November 17). He expressed regret that after making progress in reducing Jamaica’s high debt-to-GDP ratio—on track to fall to 60 per cent—the hurricane has devastated half the country’s infrastructure, requiring significant relief and recovery spending.
He further noted that lost revenues from setbacks to business and commerce make careful financial management essential.
“We will spend to relieve human suffering, but every dollar that is spent will be accounted for… and not just from an accounting point of view, meaning adding up the dollar spent. It will be accounted for from an efficiency point of view, which is really the greater accountability. Every dollar spent, every aid given, every commitment made, will be used in a way that quickly advances the recovery, but at the end of it makes Jamaica stronger,” Dr. Holness declared.
Damage from Hurricane Melissa is estimated at US$6 billion to US$7 billion, according to the Prime Minister, equivalent to about 28–32 per cent of last fiscal year’s GDP. In a statement to the House of Representatives on November 4, he noted the hurricane has struck the heart of Jamaica’s productive belt, severely affecting tourism, agriculture, roads, housing, and other critical infrastructure across multiple parishes.
“I want the country to appreciate that we have never had a disaster of this magnitude with this economic footprint in terms of the impact, not Gilbert, not Ivan,” the Prime Minister pointed out. “All of those were relatively small to our GDP. To lose 30 per cent of your GDP is significant,” he added, noting that approximately 900,000 lives and 100,000 homes have been impacted.
Dr. Holness welcomed support from regional and international partners, emphasising that the Government is following a coordinated, transparent approach prioritising the most vulnerable communities and ensuring resilient reconstruction. Short-term measures focus on shelter, food security, healthcare, and essential services, while longer-term plans address housing reconstruction, critical infrastructure, and climate-resilient development.
Executive Director of the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP), Jeanette Calder, praised the real-time audits of Hurricane Melissa relief efforts being conducted by Auditor General Pamela Munroe Ellis, aimed at assessing accountability mechanisms for resources received and utilised during the disaster response.
The audits seek to ensure internal controls are adequate to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse of public resources, addressing public concerns about accountability in the spending of recovery funds.
