Major General Antony Anderson takes up office today as the first Chief Executive Officer of Jamaica’s National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA).

Prior to this, he served as Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States and previously held prominent roles including Commissioner of Police and Chief of Defence Staff for the Jamaica Defence Force.

NaRRA is a specialized statutory body established by the Jamaican government to accelerate post-disaster reconstruction and critical infrastructure resilience following Hurricane Melissa. 

The legislation granting NaRRA’s leadership broad operational powers met with substantial debate and criticism from civil society groups and the parliamentary opposition. 

Concerns were raised regarding the potential to override regulatory bodies without sufficient oversight, as well as questions over the recruitment process for the CEO position.