The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) has announced that it will provide J$45 million in recovery support to six of its existing business clusters affected by Hurricane Melissa, as it enters the second phase of its M5 Business Recovery Programme. 

This assistance to provide strategic funding to affected clusters will be channelled through the Boosting Innovation, Growth and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (BIGEE) Programme, which is supported by the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union. The partners’ continued support reflects shared confidence in the Programme’s ability not only to restore operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, but also to position beneficiaries for more resilient, sustainable growth.

Beneficiary clusters include Strawberry Production, Pepper, Cocoa, Tourism, Peanut, and Pimento. They will benefit from targeted interventions to restore operations, including the repair or replacement of damaged equipment, refinancing of existing credit facilities, and reconstruction of critical infrastructure, alongside resilience measures designed to reduce future vulnerability and strengthen long-term sustainability.

Speaking on the initiative, Dr David Lowe, Managing Director of the Development Bank of Jamaica, said the intervention reflects DBJ’s commitment to standing with businesses beyond initial financing approval. These clusters represent innovation, value-chain development, and collaborative growth across key sectors of our economy. As we enter the second phase of the M5 Business Recovery Programme, we are strategically leveraging the BIGEE programme, with funding from our partners, to deliver more targeted sector support where it is needed most. This next phase is not only about restoring operations, but about strengthening resilience, accelerating sustainable enterprise development and positioning our productive sectors for long-term growth.”

The funds for this initiative will be issued through BIGEE’s Jamaica Business Fund, which, since its launch, has supported 12 business clusters valued at over J$333 million, and impacted 61 companies, catalysing private investment, boosting productivity and expanding access to both local and export markets. This post-Melissa intervention is designed to safeguard these gains while positioning beneficiaries for stronger, more resilient growth.