Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness is urging the development of an enterprise-level contracting sector to support the Government’s target of delivering 150,000 housing solutions to meet national demand.
“As we scale up what we’re going to do, contractors must also scale up their capabilities, their competence, and their resources. We are going to be increasing the capital budget… we’re going to be bringing more projects on stream. We need you to be ready… we need you to make the investments in yourselves [and] in your communities,” the Prime Minister said.
He was delivering the keynote address at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Galina Housing Development in St. Mary on April 24.
Dr. Holness noted that each year a “significant percentage” of the capital budget is returned to the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service because approved projects are not completed.
Beyond the many processes that precede construction, he said the issue of uncompleted projects is also linked to contractors, whom he described as critical to national development.
Dr. Holness stressed that contractors are essential to achieving the Government’s 150,000 housing target.
He explained that the strategy involves engaging individuals with proven housing construction experience and entering into legal agreements that obligate them to deliver homes at a specified price, quality standard, and within a defined timeframe.
The Prime Minister said Jamaica needs a contracting class that operates at enterprise scale—one that invests in technical skills, integrates technology, and builds the financial capacity to support major capital projects.
Dr. Holness said contractors must have the capacity to take on up to 10,000 houses at a time to make a meaningful impact.
He also urged local contractors to embrace innovation and leverage technology to deliver houses in half the time previously required.
The Prime Minister added that while the Government will continue to make preferential arrangements for local contractors, they must also be competitive at the regional and global levels.
For the Galina Housing Development, the National Housing Trust has partnered with Henan Fifth Construction Group Jamaica Limited.
“We welcome them into our space. We will hold them to the same standards, if not higher, for the production of houses at pace, at scale, and at the level of affordability for the average Jamaican,” Dr. Holness said.
He emphasized that their involvement must contribute to Jamaica’s broader development.
“It is not an extractive engagement. Skills transfer… technology transfer must be done. The use of Jamaican technical expertise must be done. Your corporate social responsibility to Jamaica and Jamaicans must be exercised. You must contribute to the communities that you are participating in,” the Prime Minister underscored.
