Speeches by the Prime Minister

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Official Opening Ceremony of the Bustamante Overnight Suite on January 30, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------------   The Right Reverend Leon Golding. I know you prayed for me in my absence. I heard the prayers. Thank you very much for your offering of intercession. Honourable Christopher Tufton, our Minister of Health and Wellness. Very important, sometimes we forget that Minister Tufton he's not a medical doctor, but he knows so much about health by now that I believe he should just formalize that and go and do a medical degree, Our Member of Parliament, Julian Robinson for Southeast St Andrew, Mr Linval Freeman, Chairman of the National Housing Trust, And the Deputy Chairman of the National Health Fund, Mr Michael Stern, Mr Mark Martin, Parish Manager for Kingston and St Andrew Health Services, And of course, how could I forget Mr Wentworth Charles, the Chairman of the Southeast Regional Health Authority, Mr Anthony Wood, Chief Executive Officer of the Bustamante Children's Hospital, Mrs Michelle Finnikin Campbell, Acting Director of Nursing Services at the Bustamante Children's Hospital, Reverend Beverly Donald, Chaplain, Bustamante Hospital for children, Members…

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Launch of the Shelter Recovery Programme on January 15, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------   Allow me to wish for you all a happy, peaceful, healthy, loving and prosperous 2026. All distinguished ladies and gentlemen, Jamaicans listening, Members of the Cabinet who are here, But I want to especially acknowledge Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. I do this because the Red Cross is a huge institution, probably the largest and oldest humanitarian entity in the world supported through various conventions including the Vienna Convention and I was reminded yesterday that the Red Cross is an auxiliary to the government. They're in countries all over the world and they work closely with government. Mainly, they provide good advice to the government as to how to manage disasters. They act as a force multiplier in terms of rapidly increasing the capabilities of governments to provide volunteers, and they ensure also that the relief and humanitarian efforts meet certain standards to preserve the dignity of the beneficiaries so they're very critical and it is not always that Jamaica…

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica at the NSHP Handing Over Ceremony- The Brook, Stony Hill on January 30, 2026 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Representatives from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, Representatives from the police, Representatives from the media, And of course, you, the wonderful people of Brooks Level Road in West Rural St Andrew, in the lovely town of Stony Hill and Seaview Road And I have to also acknowledge the beneficiaries of these lovely multifamily homes that have been constructed here. Now, just to give some context. This is being done under a programme called the New Social Housing Programme. And what is social housing? Social housing is the provision of housing solutions by the government to worthy beneficiaries, either partially subsidised or fully subsidized. And what do we mean by subsidy? It means that the beneficiary gets the benefit, which is the house, for a price that is not fully the cost of the house, or they pay nothing for the cost of the house. It doesn't mean that the house is free. Somebody pays for it. Who pays for it? Everybody pays for it. It's your…

Keynote Address by  Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP,  Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Handing Over Ceremony for the SRP (ROOFS), Ministry of Labour and Social Security Parish Office, Santa Cruz On January 30, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I want to acknowledge the Minister of Labour and Social Security, the Honourable Pearnel Charles. I won't bother to say Junior because he is now more than walking in his father's footstep. He's walking in his own footsteps, leaving his own footprint, and he has really risen to the challenge of managing two major natural disasters back-to-back so good job, minister. We have here with us the member of parliament. I know I have two other members of parliament here, but I'm going to say something because we have a tendency when we say MPs, we say Floyd Green, Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth but that is just because Minister Green is the Minister of Agriculture, so he's minister for the breadbasket parish. We have Minister Green, Member of Parliament for Southwest St Elizabeth. We have another minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Frank. Good to see you here. And we have Andrew Morris, the new kid on the…

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica At the JCF Passing-Out Parade of Batches 161 and 162 National Police College, Twickenham Park, St Catherine On January 21, 2026 ---------------------------------------------------------------------   Thank you, Master of Ceremonies, Detective Sergeant Shermaine Hassock, and Sergeant Selvan Smith and Pastor Dr Gary Buddoo-Fletcher, Force Chaplain for the invocation, Allow me to acknowledge a long list of officials: The Honourable Pearnel Charles Jr, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Dr Kevin Blake, your Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioners of Police, Mr Merrick Watson, Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Training and the Director of the National Police College, Councillor Claude Hamilton, representing the mayor of Spanish Town, The Honourable Icylin Golding, Custos Rotulorum of St Catherine, Officers and other members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Members of private and public sector entities, And of course, graduates of Batch 161 and 162, and your families and well-wishers gathered, Representatives of the media, Ladies and gentlemen, Today marks a milestone not only in your lives but in the life of our nation. You stand there at attention in uniform as the newest ambassadors of law order and public…

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Handing Over of Building Supplies to ODPEM  on January 16, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------   Brigadier Bogle, our friend, thank you so much, my brother from the Ghanaian Forces Engineering Regiment. Representatives from the Guyana Engineering Corps who are here, and of course, the men and women of the Jamaica Defence Force, Commander Gayle, the Director General of ODPEM, (our Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management agency) but none of you are as special today as is Mrs Antoinette Taddeo, representing New Era Homes, one of Jamaica's premier housing developers. This programme, the government directed roof repair programme is the beneficiary of the philanthropy of two large housing developers in Jamaica, Kemtek, which allocated from their resources $70 million worth of materials and New Era, which contributed $160 million of tools and building materials, and that has given us a very good start towards the government directed roof restoration programme. I should also acknowledge that the Government of Guyana, which undertook the restoration of 200 roofs, not just allocated the human resources. In other words, they didn't just send their engineers, they sent their engineers with a…

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica at the Official Reopening of Business Kiosks/ Shops, Border, St Elizabeth on January 16, 2026 -----------------------------------------------------------   Today's reopening of the business kiosks and shops at Border in St Elizabeth carries significance far beyond the physical restoration of a market space. It represents a defining statement of national intent that after a disaster such as Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica is intentional and serious about rebuilding communities, restoring livelihoods, and renewing the foundations of economic life with greater resilience and purpose. And we are doing it in an area that is a microcosm of the wider commercial endeavours in Jamaica, that is with the MSMEs because this segment of Jamaica's economy represents almost 70% of the economy. It is significant. It is a large employer of labour. It carries income for most households in Jamaica and therefore having the launch of our programme for the restoration of businesses in the country, having it done here, it's very symbolic of the government's intent and the government's respect, concern and appreciation for small businesses/ micro businesses in Jamaica. If you listen to my presentations, you will hear me…

Remarks by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Official Opening Wisynco Brewery and New Manufacturing Facility on January 13, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- The year is still new, so allow me to wish for everyone a happy, healthy, peaceful, fulfilling, wealthy, productive, and prosperous 2026. Allow me to thank the Masters of Ceremony, And allow me also to acknowledge Ministers Hill and Charles and our ministers of state who are present with us. I'm searching to see whether or not Mayor Leon Thomas is here, and of course, Member of Parliament, Alando Terrelonge, Minister of State. You showed me a picture. It was 10 years ago. I had a full head of black hair then, William, and so did you, and Andrew, thanks for the invitation. Indeed, it is my pleasure to be with you today. Today's ceremony is far more than the official opening of a new facility. It is a statement about the direction of Jamaica's economy, the maturity of our institutions, and the confidence that serious investors now place in our country's future. We are gathered here at Lakes Pen, St Catherine to mark a significant expansion of Jamaica's manufacturing…

Keynote Address by Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica at the JSE 21st Regional Investments & Capital Markets Conference On January 20, 2026 ---------------------------------------------------------------   Let me repeat my Happy New Year greeting and best wishes for healthy, happy, productive, wealthy, peaceful, and of course, prosperous 2026. Let me give commendations to the Dinthill choir. Clearly there is a vast reserve of talent in the country and Dinthill is one of those fields that we will have to tap for our talent in oil. Yes, there are some of you who thought that I would've been knocked down in the last boxing match. I got a few punches but I'm still standing strong and I'm here with you today. This would be, maybe about my 11th time presenting at this conference, and it is always a pleasure. It is indeed what I call a calendar event. They don't ask me, Prime Minister, are you going to attend this, they just put it in the diary because they know that I will be attending. I give God thanks that I have been able to be with you for all these years, and again, my…