KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister, Dr Andrew Holness, has clarified misconceptions that he says have surfaced regarding the implementation of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA).

NaRRA is intended to serve as the central coordinating authority for post-hurricane reconstruction, and is designed to eliminate bureaucracy, fragmentation, and project delays.

Serving as a hub of technical excellence, NaRRA will streamline project preparation and delivery, aligning the quality of national planning with the scale of the nation’s vision.

Speaking on Thursday during the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) Board Meeting at the Courtyard by Marriott Kingston, Holness emphasised that what he described as assumptions suggesting NaRRA lacks proper oversight or is burdened by overbearing bureaucracy could be counterproductive.

“The greatest risk to the Government would be for anything untoward to happen under NaRRA. It is not in the interest of the Government to create weak oversight for NaRRA. Secondly, the other great threat to NaRRA would be for it to become mired in weak, overbearing bureaucracy,” he stated.

The prime minister outlined the authority’s mandate, which includes developing a register of projects that qualify for reconstruction, resilience building, and the coordination of economic activity.

“So, if NaRRA is doing an infrastructure project and there was a housing project… somewhere in a municipal authority… then if we’re building the infrastructure, if we’re putting in the road and bringing in the water and so forth, and right beside it there are lands there that could be developed, then why not bring them in… at the same time?” Holness reasoned, as he explained the basis for NaRRA.

He added that this approach could also apply to private projects that meet the resilience, reconstruction, and economic criteria, with the authority providing guidance and coordination to ensure infrastructure development creates economic synergy.

Addressing concerns about transparency, Holness announced the establishment of a dual-layer reporting structure.

The first layer is the Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee (JAMRROC), which was modelled on the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC).

“So, we have created JAMRROC, where persons of high reputation, international acclaim, will review the projects and report to the public what is happening,”Holness stated.

The second level of reporting requires NaRRA to provide regular updates to Parliament, where it may be examined by the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) or other parliamentary committees on its projects.

A key objective of NaRRA is to drive a mindset shift within the local construction industry.

The prime minister urged Jamaican contractors to move beyond ‘one-man shop’ approaches and prepare themselves for global competition.

“We have to start to think differently – not to see their business as a small one-man shop that doesn’t want to invest in technology and skills but to be thinking larger. So, we need to… give them the opportunity to work with enterprise scale contractors so that there can be a mindset change, technology transfer, and skills transfer,” Holness posited.

In his charge to local contractors, Dr Holness urged them to embrace NaRRA’s framework rather than view it as a threat, and position themselves to step onto the global stage.

While reaffirming his commitment to the fundamental principles of procurement, the prime minister cautioned that the current “unbounded” timelines for government projects pose a significant risk to successful delivery.

NaRRA is intended to operate at an “international pace”, engaging contractors with the financial capacity and reputational strength required to execute urban renewal projects on a scale comparable to global standards.

“Urban renewal is not a mystery. So NaRRA has to be agile… it has to be working at international pace. NaRRA will manage the stakeholder engagements, both locally and with our international stakeholders and with the contractors,” Holness said.

—   JIS