News from the OPM

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to affordable housing while providing context to the decision to utilize $11.4 billion from the National Housing Trust (NHT) to strengthen Jamaica’s economic position. Addressing public commentary surrounding the matter, Prime Minister Holness underscored that any decision to access NHT resources must be grounded in national interest and economic responsibility. “The Government is not utilizing resources from the NHT for purposes that are not of national importance. We acknowledge that these funds are contributed for housing, and we acknowledge that this cannot continue indefinitely. The government has to use these resources to strengthen our economic base so that we don't have to take the resources out of the NHT,” the Prime Minister said. Prime Minister Holness noted that the use of NHT resources for broader national priorities has historical precedent. He referenced the mid-1990s national education reform initiative under former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson, which was supported through NHT funding to advance critical transformation in the education sector. At that time, he said, the decision was viewed as defensible in the context of national development. He further pointed out that in or around 2013, significant sums…

Dr. the Honourable Andrew Wheatley, Minister Without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Science, Technology, and Special Projects, convened the first meeting of the reconstituted National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force on February 19, 2026, following a Cabinet decision to accelerate Jamaica’s national AI programme. Minister Wheatley noted that the Task Force is intentionally designed as a multi-stakeholder national team with 23 members drawn from the public sector, academic institutions, civil society, and the private sector, bringing technical and policy expertise in AI and related areas. In welcoming members, Minister Wheatley underscored that AI must be viewed as “core national infrastructure” and must be governed in a way that accelerates productivity and innovation while protecting Jamaicans’ rights and maintaining public trust. The Minister reaffirmed the Government’s intent to build directly on the Task Force’s prior work, particularly the National AI Policy Recommendations and the UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM), completed in 2025. The Task Force is chaired by Mr. Christopher Reckord and includes senior technical and policy leaders, including Mr. Trevor Forrest, Senior Advisor to Minister Wheatley; Cordel Green, Executive Director of the Broadcast Commission; Professor Sean Thorpe, Dean in the Faculty of Engineering…

After careful review and internal consultations, it was agreed that the Prime Minister should conform to the established emoluments and remuneration for the office. As explained by the Prime Minister when he declined to accept the adjusted compensation in May 2023, “another Prime Minister in the future or a new mandate may give an opportunity to reconsider the Prime Minister’s salary." In respect of this, the decision was taken last year after the new administration was in place; however, its implementation was delayed because of Hurricane Melissa. The Parliament has been advised to effect this change as of September 2025, and consequent adjustments should follow for former Prime Ministers and their surviving spouses.

Dr. the Honourable Andrew Wheatley, Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Science, Technology and Special Projects in the Office of the Prime Minister, says Jamaica is moving to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, accelerate public service delivery, and strengthen resilience in the digital age. Speaking at a forum at the University of the West Indies, Minister Wheatley emphasized that reform is about improving systems, not weakening safeguards.  the Minister stated: “Some bureaucracy is necessary, it protects fairness, safety, standards, and accountability. But bad bureaucracy is duplication, opacity, delay, and inconsistency. AI gives us a real opportunity to keep what protects the public and remove what wastes time.” The Minister noted that AI can help cut delays by reducing routine workload and shrinking backlogs, while improving the citizen experience through clearer guidance and better service tracking. He also highlighted AI’s role in reducing duplication across agencies, so citizens and businesses are not forced to repeatedly submit the same information. Minister Wheatley stressed that efficiency must be matched with safeguards and public trust. “AI must never become automated unfairness. “If AI touches public decisions, it must be secure, accountable, and paired with human oversight,” said Minister Wheatley. He also referenced…

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness has welcomed Jamaica’s latest crime statistics, confirming that the country recorded its lowest monthly murder figure for January 2026 since national crime data collection began in 2001, according to figures reported by the Jamaica Constabulary Force, continuing a sustained downward trend in violent crime. The Prime Minister noted that 33 murders were recorded in January 2026, representing a 55 per cent reduction when compared to January 2025, which recorded 74 murders. He said the sustained fall in homicides, particularly over the last three years, reflects years of planning and execution across his administrations since 2016, underpinned by the structured implementation of Plan Secure Jamaica, the Government’s whole-of-government national security framework. Introduced early in the Administration and tabled in Parliament in 2016, with further details outlined in the 2017/2018 Budget Presentation, the plan aligns enforcement, prevention, institutional reform, and social intervention to deliver a coordinated national response to crime. Prime Minister Dr. Holness noted that national security was prioritized as a national imperative, tackled head-on by his administration through sustained investments in Jamaica’s security architecture. These include investments in intelligence-led policing, strengthened inter-agency coordination, enhanced mobility and technological capability within the security forces,…

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness says the Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) is setting a new benchmark for how housing can be delivered in Jamaica, demonstrating that homes for vulnerable Jamaicans can be structurally sound, thoughtfully designed, and aesthetically pleasing, while contributing positively to the wider community. Speaking at the handover of newly constructed multi-family units along Brooks Level Road in Stony Hill on January 30, 2026, the Prime Minister explained that the programme is designed not only to provide housing for persons who cannot access mortgages or formal housing, but also to serve as a practical example of how residential development should take place. ​“Every one of these houses that we have built acts as a symbol, an example, of how we should seek to construct housing in communities across the island,” Dr. Holness ​said, noting ​that the Stony Hill development shows how quality design can ​improve both the physical environment and how residents feel about their ​surroundings. ​ “We don’t have to accept poor-quality housing; we can build homes that are ​pleasing,” the ​Prime Minister stated. “When you put up structures that are ​aesthetically pleasing, it lifts ​the area. It lifts how you feel. It…

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness says the Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) is transforming housing support for the most vulnerable families into long-term security, providing beneficiaries with solid, formal homes that can be passed from one generation to the next, helping to break cycles of intergenerational poverty. The Prime Minister was speaking on Friday, January 30, 2026, at the handing over of a newly constructed multi-family housing unit for three families along Brooks Level Road in Stony Hill, within the St. Andrew West Rural Constituency. The development now provides safe, resilient accommodation for 12 individuals, including households displaced by a fire in 2023. Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Holness emphasized that the programme goes beyond meeting immediate shelter needs, positioning home ownership as a pathway to stability, dignity, and upward social mobility. “There will come a time in Jamaica where we improve the housing stock to have every house built solidly and properly, in a formal structure, so that you can have a title to your house, that it becomes an asset for your family, and that you can pass it down from generation to generation,” the Prime Minister said. He explained that this approach represents…

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness has outlined the Government’s ongoing investments in pediatric and adolescent healthcare, underscoring the Government’s deliberate national strategy to position Jamaica as a centre of excellence for children and adolescent health in the Western Hemisphere. Speaking during the opening of the Parent Overnight Suite at the Bustamante Hospital for Children on January 30, 2026, the Prime Minister highlighted the institution’s central role in Jamaica’s health system and its wider regional importance. He noted that the hospital is the only specialist pediatric hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean, providing care to children from birth to age 12 across a wide range of services, including cardiology, neurology, nephrology, oncology, surgery, and intensive care. Dr. Holness also pointed to the hospital’s capacity, including 279 beds, ICU and Cardiac ICU services, and an Accident and Emergency Department that treats approximately 70,000 patients annually, describing the facility as a national cornerstone for pediatric care. The Prime Minister explained that Jamaica’s pediatric health ecosystem will be strengthened with the future completion of the Western Child and Adolescent Hospital, which will be delivered as a modern, state-of-the-art facility to expand access to specialized services for children and adolescents, particularly in western…

The Government of Jamaica has begun the disbursement of financial assistance to Jamaicans whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Melissa, marking a significant step in the country’s shelter recovery and national reconstruction efforts. Under the Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS) programme, payments for severe damage, valued at up to $500,000, have officially commenced. Fifty beneficiaries have already received assistance through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s digital voucher modality. In addition, 1,234 households, primarily senior citizens, have received their disbursements through direct deposit, ensuring timely and secure access to recovery funds. A further 20 Jamaicans are scheduled to receive prepaid cards with their disbursements today. With all payment modalities now activated, the Government is fully prepared to roll out assistance across all damage categories. These include support for minor damage of $75,000, major damage of $200,000, and severe damage of up to $500,000, allowing affected families to begin repairs and rebuilding without delay. Earlier this month, at the national launch of the Shelter Recovery Programme, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the Government’s commitment that every Jamaican who lost a home due to Hurricane Melissa would receive support to rebuild. He emphasized that every family in…