KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness says Jamaica has entered 2026 in good standing, pointing to economic resilience, a reduction in violent crime and swift electricity restoration following Hurricane Melissa.

The prime minister was speaking on Friday at a ceremony at the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Hunts Bay Station on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston, where equipment was officially handed over to speed up electricity restoration across the island.

Addressing workers and stakeholders, Holness said the mobilisation of trucks and crews heading to western Jamaica symbolised the Government’s recovery strategy, which places electricity restoration at the centre of national recovery.

Holness noted that Jamaica’s post-hurricane recovery compares favourably with other countries impacted by similar storms, adding that the island has achieved approximately 90 per cent electricity restoration island wide and close to 70 per cent recovery in the worst-affected parishes.

“I think that is a creditable response on the part of the government and on the part of the JPS,” he said.

Holness said electricity restoration will continue even in remote and rural communities, regardless of cost, adding that recovery efforts must focus on building long-term resilience rather than simply restoring damaged infrastructure. Holness outlined plans for stronger, hurricane-rated poles, microgrids, underground lines and resilient corridors to protect critical services such as airports, hospitals and emergency responders.

“The strength of the recovery is not just to restore, it is to build forward, not to build back,” Holness said. “We are going to be building Jamaica forward and we are going to be building Jamaica better than it was before.”

He also used the opportunity to defend the Government’s decision to facilitate financing for JPS to accelerate grid restoration, including a loan facility valued at US$150 billion.

“The JPS is a private company with public interest. The JPS provides a public service… And that public good cannot in any way be disrupted,” he said.

He explained that the financing arrangement was deliberately separated from ongoing negotiations regarding the company’s operating licence, ensuring that electricity restoration would not be delayed.

As a result of this support, Holness said JPS now has more than 270 trucks and approximately 470 workers deployed, bringing total manpower to nearly 900 line workers and close to 500 trucks.

In the meantime, Holness pointed to what he indicated were two major national achievements that, he said, justify optimism for the year ahead — economic performance and reduction in violent crimes.

He cited the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) recently reporting more than five per cent growth in the July to September quarter of 2025, noting that this was significant as, historically, the country has taken years or even decades to recover from major crises. In 2024, Jamaica was impacted by Hurricane Beryl, which plundered economic gains for the country, including reversing some 12 consecutive quarters of post-pandemic growth for the island.

“What we have seen… is that when we are hit by super phenomenal events… the ability of the economy to head back to growth within the year of the impact is phenomenal.”

He attributed this turnaround to what he described as increased resilience within the Jamaican economy.

“It is a word called resilience. The Jamaican economy is showing very strong signs of resilience,” Holness said, adding that such resilience is the result of “deliberate decisions” by the Government.

He also described the significant decline in murders as a historic achievement.

“For the first time in 31 years, the country can collectively celebrate… the reduction of murders,” he said, noting that murders have fallen to 673 for the year, representing a more than 40 per cent decline and the third consecutive year of reductions.

“We have cracked the psychological barrier of a thousand murders per year,” Holness said, adding that Jamaica is now moving toward the regional average of 15 murders per 100,000 people.