Golding calls for ‘Marshall Plan’ to rescue hurricane hit small businesses

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Leader of the Opposition Mark Golding has called for the urgent rollout of a ‘Marshall Plan’ for micro, small and medium enterprises devastated by Hurricane Melissa, warning that thousands of businesses across western and central Jamaica remain crippled months after the storm.

According to a release on Thursday, Golding  while addressing the Small Business Association of Jamaica’s Growth and Resilience Conference 2026 at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, said businesses in much of Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, Hanover, St James, Trelawny and even parts of Manchester have suffered lasting damage to their productive capacity.

“Many of these small businesses are uninsured. Many have suffered losses to their physical assets and their stock. They need help, and they need it fast,” he said.