Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced the appointment of Major General Antony Anderson as Chief Executive Officer of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), marking a key leadership step for the newly established body tasked with steering Jamaica’s post-hurricane recovery and rebuilding programme.
Speaking at Wednesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing, Holness said the recruitment process for the role was highly competitive, attracting international interest and moving through multiple stages before a final shortlist of seven candidates was selected from an initial pool of 85 applicants for the CEO post.
According to the Prime Minister, the shortlist included three Jamaicans and four international candidates from countries including the United States and the United Kingdom. He added that he deliberately remained at arm’s length from the selection process.
“I kept a distance for good reason,” Holness said, noting that the final decision emerged from an independent interview process before the recommendation was made.
Major General Anderson, who currently serves as Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States, will now leave that diplomatic post to assume leadership of NaRRA on June 1. Anderson became Ambassador in May 2025.
Holness said Anderson’s experience across Jamaica’s key security and governance institutions made him a strong fit for the role. He pointed to his leadership history, including service as Commissioner of Police of the Jamaica Constabulary Force from 2018 to 2024, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Chief of Defence Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force.
“As faith would have it, I had tasked him to review the state’s response to Hurricane Beryl,” Holness said, adding that Anderson was already closely engaged with resilience and recovery coordination work.
The Prime Minister also confirmed that NaRRA is now fully operational under law, following the completion of its legislative process in Parliament.
The National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority is designed to coordinate Jamaica’s reconstruction following what the government has estimated as US$12.2 billion in damage from Hurricane Melissa. The body is intended to streamline project delivery and reduce delays across infrastructure rebuilding efforts.
In April, Holness described the NaRRA legislation as a central pillar of Jamaica’s post-disaster strategy, supported by a coordinated international financing package involving institutions including the IMF, World Bank Group, Inter-American Development Bank, CAF, and the Caribbean Development Bank. The package is valued at up to US$6.7 billion, leaving a significant financing gap the government says will require private sector investment.
The Prime Minister previously said NaRRA will operate through two main pillars: government-led reconstruction projects and a fast-track system for private investment under the FAST Jamaica framework. He also confirmed that the threshold for fast-tracked strategic investments will be lowered to US$15 million to broaden participation from domestic and international investors.
Holness emphasized that the authority is intended to cut through bureaucratic delays while maintaining accountability through oversight mechanisms, including a planned Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee.
He also confirmed that the Minister of Finance will issue an exemption under the Public Procurement Act to allow NaRRA greater operational flexibility.
Responding to concerns from local contractors, Holness stressed that Jamaican firms and workers would be central to the rebuilding effort.
“Local contractors, local workers, and local businesses are not peripheral to this reconstruction effort; they are central to it,” he said in April.
The Prime Minister urged lawmakers to move forward with urgency, framing NaRRA as a delivery-focused institution designed to accelerate recovery rather than prolong administrative processes.
“Jamaica does not need a recovery model in which process supersedes tangible outcomes,” Holness said in April. “People are waiting for schools, hospitals, roads, and homes. NaRRA is how we deliver those things faster and with greater accountability.”
