Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness's 2026 New Year's Message

 

We give God thanks for sparing us to see 2026, and we pause to remember the lives lost to Hurricane Melissa, which is the third most powerful hurricane ever recorded globally, and the most destructive storm ever to strike Jamaica. As we reflect on this moment, we do so with gratitude, with grief, and with a renewed sense of purpose.

 

In the 65 years since 1960, the Atlantic has produced 799 recorded storms. Remarkably, one quarter of them, 201, occurred in just the last decade. Of the 34 Category 5 hurricanes recorded since 1960, 14 have occurred since 2015. And every year since then, Jamaica has been impacted by a weather- or climate?related event: unseasonal rains, flooding, tropical storms, major hurricanes, and, on the other extreme, severe drought and record?breaking heat.

 

The climate is changing. Our oceans are warming. Weather events are becoming more frequent, more intense, and more destructive. A “once?in?50?years” event now seems to happen every five. No one expected Jamaica to be hit by Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and then by Hurricane Melissa in 2025. But this is the new global reality. And climate is only one dimension of the uncertainty we face. The global order is shifting. Geopolitical and geoeconomic maneuvering is reshaping trade, supply chains, peace and security, the multilateral system, and technology. While no one can predict the future with certainty, the analysis is clear: climate shocks, geopolitical shocks, and economic shocks will create crises in 2026. We must therefore use our strengths, seize opportunities, overcome our weaknesses, and protect ourselves from the threats that will come. We must prepare to withstand crises, absorb their impacts, and recover quickly.

 

As I look back on almost a decade of leading this country, we have faced multiple, increasingly intense, and overlapping crises. From the once?in?a?century COVID?19 pandemic, to global supply chain disruptions and inflation, to several major weather events, including two major hurricanes, one of them the most devastating in our history. And on the social front, we confronted an epidemic of murders and violence perpetrated by gangs that captured entire communities. Without fear of contradiction, no other Prime Minister and Government of Jamaica has faced the number and magnitude of crises that my Administration has had to address. And equally, without fear of empirical contradiction, no other Administration can show the results of the last ten years.

 

Today, I am pleased to report that approximately 90% of customers islandwide now have electricity, telecommunications, and water restored, including parts of Black River. We have launched an extensive programme of school repairs, and we expect all students, especially those preparing for exams, to return to classes using rotational modalities where necessary. Our hospitals are being repaired and brought back online, supported where needed by field hospitals. I want to specially recognize our nurses and doctors, who have given unbroken service throughout this disaster. And I extend sincere commendation to all our first responders: the JCF, the JDF, and our emergency teams, who ensured a credible and effective relief response. There was extensive damage to homes, and I know many Jamaicans cannot rebuild on their own or need additional support. Because of the sound economic management of my Administration, we are in a position to respond effectively as we did during COVID?19, with one of the largest direct social?care programmes in our history, and again after Beryl, when over 16,000 Jamaicans received rehabilitation and rebuilding grants.

 

Shortly, we will launch a targeted home?repair and household?rehabilitation programme for persons assessed as being tangibly affected by Hurricane Melissa. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has already conducted over 50,000 assessments, giving us the critical mass of data needed to begin payments. The JDF, along with volunteer engineering corps from Ghana and Guyana, is already restoring roofs. Modular semi?permanent housing solutions have been ordered to shelter those who have lost their homes entirely. My Jamaican family, your government is working tirelessly to ensure the resources are in place to support your recovery.

 

But a crisis also provides a brief window for a turning point. Hurricane Melissa has given us that window, an opportunity to build forward better, both in the affected areas and across nationally strategic infrastructure and economic sectors. To lead this effort, we will establish the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority, with special powers to coordinate a cohesive economic and infrastructure plan for roads, schools, hospitals, security, local government, housing, land regularization, tourism, agriculture, logistics, mining, and the creative industries. This is our opportunity to purposefully build the Jamaica of the future and the Jamaica we all dream of, but which has long been constrained by structures of the past. Because of the strong economic foundation laid by my Administration, we have secured over US$6.7 billion in multilateral support for reconstruction and resilience. While this crisis will necessarily increase our debt, we will continue to be frugal and fiscally conservative. Every dollar spent will be geared toward inducing growth, restoring lost jobs, and recovering economic output in the shortest possible time.

 

My fellow Jamaicans, for more than 40 years, our nation struggled with an epidemic of violence, both organized violence by criminal gangs and social violence across the society. Entire communities were captured and terrorized. Your government responded with Plan Secure Jamaica, transforming and expanding the JCF and JDF, creating MOCA, tripling the security budget, and implementing States of Public Emergency and Zones of Special Operations. We can now claim the third consecutive year of decline in murders: 8% in 2023, 19% in 2024, and 42% in 2025. Though approximately 670 Jamaicans were murdered last year, still far too many, we give thanks for the more than 470 lives spared relative to 2024. This is the lowest number of murders in 31 years, and well below the psychological barrier of 1,000. This achievement belongs to all of us. It proves that Jamaica can overcome problems once considered impossible to solve, just as we achieved the lowest unemployment in our history, the lowest debt?to?GDP ratio in 30 years, and no new taxes for the last 10 budgets.

 

We will maintain our vigilant posture against gangs. But we also recognize that violence has become a first resort in too many homes, too many relationships, and too many communities. In 2026, our National Security Strategy will focus heavily on peace?building in homes, in schools, and in communities, as we work to purge our society of violent tendencies and dysregulated behaviours.

 

The hurricane also exposed another longstanding challenge: waste management. Our changing lifestyle and consumption patterns have increased the volume and types of waste we generate. This year, we will begin divesting garbage collection, mainstreaming waste separation in public institutions, and instituting a ticketing system for public sanitation and littering. As we make Jamaica safer, we must also make Jamaica cleaner and more beautiful. We continue to deliver on our commitments. The Debt Reset Programme through the Students’ Loan Bureau is easing the burden of student financing, with hundreds already benefiting.

 

The SPARK Programme continues across the country, with approximately 200 roads completed or under construction. Our logistics-hub build?out continues apace. New hotels are rising, and damaged hotels are rebuilding better. And agriculture will be a major focus, with investments in irrigation, storage, and agro?parks strengthening our food security.

 

My fellow Jamaicans, the year behind us tested our nation in profound ways. Hurricane Melissa reminded us that development without future?proofing carries real costs and that resilience is never accidental. It must be deliberately designed, properly financed, and responsibly governed. Yet Jamaica enters this new chapter on a stronger footing than at many moments in our history. Our economy is more stable. Our public finances are better managed. Our institutions are more credible. We have strengthened our capacity to respond to shocks, whether economic, climatic, or social.

 

Let us use this foundation not only to rebuild, but to reimagine Jamaica. Let this new year be defined by clarity of purpose, steadiness of effort, and confidence in our shared future. Let us continue building communities that are safer, homes that are stronger, and an economy that works for all Jamaicans. I wish you and your families a year of health, opportunity, and peace as we rebuild our nation to be stronger and more resilient. May God bless each of you, and bless Jamaica land we so deeply love.