October 6, 2026
NaRRa leases headquarters at Digicel building for $115M annually
Written byIRIEFM NEWS
By Clement Reid and Marlene Freeman
The National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NARRA) has entered a five-year lease for its new headquarters at the Digicel Building in Downtown Kingston at a cost of $115 million annually.
According to a press release from the Office of the Cabinet yesterday, operations at the location are scheduled to begin by November 1.
The release said the Digicel Building was designed and constructed to withstand multiple environmental hazards and incorporates structural and engineering features intended to support resilience.
It said these features align with NARRA’s operational requirements particularly its mandate to maintain business continuity and critical functions during disasters and national emergencies.
The lease for the premises is valued at US$26.00 per square foot for a total annual cost of $US725,972.
The selection process reportedly included a detailed valuation by the National Land Agency (NLA).
The Office of the Cabinet says the valuation assessed the proposed cost against current market value and what other government agencies currently pay to acquire office space.
It determined that the expenditure was in keeping with existing standards and market rates.
The release said NARRA, since its establishment, has been engaged in a series of stakeholder consultations and coordination activities aimed at strengthening collaboration around Jamaica’s reconstruction and resilience priorities as well as building out the organisational structure necessary to carry out its mandate.
It noted that recruitment for positions within the Authority is proceeding on schedule.
The new headquarters is expected to provide a centralised base from which NARRA can coordinate these efforts and advance its work to support long-term national resilience and sustainable economic growth.
Meantime, Chief Executive Officer of NARRA, Major General (Ret’d) Antony Anderson, has stated that in the next five years, the country will become more investable with better quality infrastructure.
Major General Anderson was speaking in an interview with the JIS in Vernamfield, Clarendon.
He said the development in infrastructure is expected to result in private sector development and a structured mechanism of knowledge transfer.
Major General Anderson outlined that the development of Vernamfield is crucial for receiving supplies in an event that both major airports are compromised during a hurricane or other disasters.
He stated that its central location provides the potential for significant resilience.
