Durrant Pate/Contributor

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has unveiled an ambitious capital works programme, assembling the largest block of near-port logistics lands in the region, placing Jamaica firmly on the path to fulfilling its national ambition of becoming the fourth global node in logistics, alongside Singapore, Dubai, and Rotterdam.

In this plan, the Port of Kingston, which is now one of the fastest-growing ports in the entire hemisphere, is being built out as the region’s premier logistics hub.

Making his 2026/27 Budget Debate presentation, Holness declared, “We are determined to ensure that our infrastructure keeps pace with that growth. We are undertaking a series of transformational projects that together will create the largest concentration of near-port logistics lands anywhere in the Caribbean.” 

The first of these projects is the US$80 million Westlands Project, which is already underway to add 15 hectares to the Kingston Freeport Terminal, increasing cargo storage capacity by more than 25 per cent. The second involves realignment of Marcus Garvey Drive to the northeast of the Tinson Pen Aerodrome and the incorporation of Tinson Pen lands into an expanded near-port logistics corridor.

Emergence as regional automobile logistics hub

A portion of these lands, Holness told Parliament, is already being actively utilised for automobile logistics, a clear signal of Kingston’s emergence as a regional hub in this dynamic sector, and a preview of the far greater potential that lies ahead. However, he cited inadequate drainage infrastructure along this corridor, which has resulted in disruption of operations from even moderate rainfall.

The National Works Agency, in collaboration with local and international consultants, has completed comprehensive studies for a drainage system designed to efficiently convey stormwater to Hunts Bay. He announced that the administration will move decisively under the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) to finalise the designs and implement this solution. 

Attention to KMA drainage system

Speaking of drainage in the Kingston Metropolitan Area lamented that no infrastructure project is more urgently needed, or more consequential, than the rehabilitation of the Sandy Gully, which is the city’s main line of defence against flooding. The government is currently investing J$1.3 billion in critical works along sections of the Sandy Gully. 

Through NaRRA, the administration will programme additional major improvement works to strengthen the Sandy Gully corridor. Anchoring this entire logistics ecosystem is the Caymanas Special Economic Zone (CSEZ), Jamaica’s flagship logistics project. 

The CSEZ is designed to complete Jamaica’s transition from a transhipment hub into a fully-fledged logistics centre for the region and beyond. The first phase will be developed over four years for J$8 billion, covering 200 acres of the 700-acre property, generating hundreds of direct and indirect jobs during construction alone. 

Taken together Westlands, Tinson Pen, and the Caymanas Special Economic Zone investments will assemble the largest block of near-port logistics lands in the region, placing Jamaica firmly on the path to fulfilling our national ambition of becoming the fourth global node in logistics, alongside Singapore, Dubai, and Rotterdam. 

According to the prime minister, “The profound geopolitical shifts now reshaping global trade have accelerated the drive toward nearshoring and friendshoring as nations and businesses seek to reduce supply chain vulnerability and bring production closer to trusted partners. These developments, along with our geography, our political stability and sustained investments in port infrastructure, have increased the island’s attractiveness as a premier destination for logistics.”