November 2, 2026

Prime Minister outlines mandate for new Mining and Geology Ministry, giving Minister Floyd Green four priority tasks

The new Ministry of Mining and Geology is to place sustained focus on two important national responsibilities.

The first is to secure greater value for Jamaica’s minerals and the second is to ensure reliable geological information informs public decisions about land use, infrastructure, and community safety.

Floyd Green is the minister assigned to the Ministry of Mining and Geology with Darlene Morrison as Permanent Secretary.

Mr. Green also retains policy oversight for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness in correspondence to Mr. Green, noted that bauxite and alumina have served Jamaica for generations.

He said declining grades in accessible reserves, energy costs, and ageing infrastructure now weigh on the industry, and government must address those constraints, examine the return Jamaica receives, and develop opportunities in limestone, aggregates, and other minerals.

The Prime Minister assigned Mr. Green four priority tasks saying together they will determine how Jamaica manages its mineral wealth, how it uses geological knowledge in the public interest, and how it protects taxpayers from continuing commercial losses.

The Minister’s first priority is to accelerate implementation of the National Minerals Policy 2017–2030 and bring to Cabinet any change needed to help Jamaica earn more from what is mined and quarried.

Through a limestone value-addition programme, the Ministry is to identify deposits suitable for higher-value products such as food-grade calcium carbonate, and work with investors to develop those opportunities in Jamaica.

The Prime Minister noted that bauxite and alumina remain important to Jamaica. The Ministry will work with operators to address energy costs, protect viable reserves, and improve residue management.

He will bring to Cabinet a critical minerals strategy that examines, among other prospects, whether or not valuable minerals can be recovered commercially from bauxite and its residues.

With the Finance Ministry, the new ministry is to propose a royalty and tax regime and an incentive regime (where applicable) suited to the economics of each mineral. It should reward exploration and investment, allow Jamaica to share fairly in higher profits, and give the state the means to verify production, prices, and payments.

Mr. Green’s second priority is to bring to Cabinet a plan to transform the Jamaica bauxite institute into a Jamaica minerals institute.

Dr. Holness said a national mineral resource assessment should give Jamaica a clearer picture of what the country has and where further exploration is justified. This should begin with limestone and aggregates and pursue prospects for gold, copper, rare earth elements, and other minerals where the evidence warrants it.

Working with the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority and the relevant public bodies, the Ministry will identify proposed housing sites, critical facilities, and roads where unstable slopes or the risk of ground collapse in limestone terrain warrant investigation.

Before a site or route is settled, the responsible agency should have a map or written assessment that explains the known hazards, where uncertainty remains and what ground investigations are needed.

The Minister’s third priority is to protect the people who live and work near mines and quarries, safeguard rivers and watersheds, and restore mined-out land to safe, productive use. The Prime Minister expects operators to plan for the land’s future before extraction begins.

Those plans should reflect the views of landowners and neighbouring communities, identify a sustainable use suited to the site, and provide for progressive rehabilitation, with adequate financial security to complete the work.

The Ministry should also among other things strengthen the regulatory framework and act on the Auditor General’s recommendations.

Mr. Green’s fourth priority is to lead the divestment of Government’s interest in Clarendon Alumina Production Limited and its participation in JAMALCO.

The objective is to end or materially reduce taxpayers’ exposure to operating losses, capital calls, and contingent liabilities.

The Minister, with the Finance Ministry and the Attorney General’s chambers should bring to Cabinet a transaction strategy grounded in independent valuation and legal due diligence.

The Ministry of Mining and Geology is to submit, within 30 days, a plan identifying who leads each priority, when decisions are due and which reconstruction projects need geological advice first.

Mr. Green is to report to the Prime Minister in 90 days and quarterly thereafter, and provide an annual sector performance and investment report.

Prime Minister Holness noted that he expects evidence of investment secured, land restored, fiscal exposure reduced, and public decisions improved by geological advice.