CAIRO, Egypt, (CMC) – The Egypt-based African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Friday said it is making a donation of US$1.1 million to the governments of Jamaica and Haiti to support the recovery efforts of the countries following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in October.

Hurricane Melissa, which passed through the northern Caribbean, unleashed unprecedented devastation on a number of countries in the region, including Haiti and Jamaica, both of which are Afreximbank member states.

According to letters of solidarity sent by Afreximbank president, Dr George Elombi,  to the respective governments, US$600,000  will go to Jamaica and US$500,000 to Haiti.

The donation followed separate meetings recently between Dr Elombi and  Laurent Saint-Cyr, Chairman of the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti, and the Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, respectively, during which he expressed condolences and affirmed Afreximbank’s commitment to supporting the two countries in their rebuilding efforts.

Elombi informed the two leaders that Afreximbank would engage with the relevant agencies and authorities to explore the possibility of developing country programmes to support recovery projects in the two countries.

“To this end, the Caribbean Office of the bank was mandated to engage with both governments to explore ways of providing further support towards the reconstruction process,” according to an Afreximbank statement.

Hurricane Melissa killed at least 45 people in Jamaica and left damage estimated at US$9 billion.

“We commiserate with our brothers and sisters in Haiti, Jamaica, and other places devastated by Hurricane Melissa. While extending our support towards immediate relief efforts in the region, we recognise the scale of damage to vital infrastructure and to people’s livelihoods,” Elombi said, adding “we remain steadfast in our support for recovery and restoration efforts and in building our collective resilience against future climate shocks”.

The Caribbean hurricane season runs from June to November when the region experiences increased weather systems, like tropical storms and hurricanes, characterised by destructive winds, storm surges and excessive rainfall.

Researchers have predicted that the severity of hurricanes will continue to intensify as a result of climate change and have partially attributed the severity of Hurricane Melissa, described as “one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded”, to the especially high temperatures in the Caribbean this year.

Afreximbank said it will continue to work with Caribbean governments, through its Barbados-based office to explore long-term financing solutions that strengthen resilience, restore livelihoods, and reinforce critical infrastructure for the future.

In 2024, Afreximbank contributed over USD 500,000 to support disaster relief and rebuilding efforts across Caribbean countries affected by Hurricane Beryl.