Portia simpson miller jamaica network
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During his tenure, he introduced the National Insurance Scheme, a landmark initiative that provided social security benefits to Jamaican workers.
Minister Grange said the renaming recognises their “outstanding contribution to the movement for the rights and proper working conditions of Jamaican workers.”
As part of the wider Workers’ Week observance, tributes will also be paid to historical labour icons, including National Hero The Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe, who led the 1831 strike that became Jamaica’s first organised industrial action.
She championed workers’ rights, personally funded education for students, advanced employment programmes for women and youth and consistently prioritised the needs of the poor, the elderly and young people.
Her leadership was grounded in the belief that national progress should be measured by the wellbeing of ordinary citizens — a conviction shaped by her rural upbringing and lifelong connection to community.
People First Leadership
As Portia Simpson Miller turns 80, her legacy stands as a testament to the power of resilience, humility and service.
During this period, she also expanded the Overseas Work Programme, transforming it into a reliable source of income for rural households and seasonal workers.
- As Minister with responsibility for Sport she was responsible for the establishment of the Sports Development Foundation and the advancement of major sporting infrastructure, including the indoor sports facility at the National Stadium and the G.C.
Foster College track.
- As Minister of Tourism, Simpson-Miller played a leading role in developing Jamaica’s Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development, a policy framework that guided sector growth well beyond her time in office.
- As Minister of Local Government and Community Development, she advanced a decentralisation agenda that brought decision-making closer to communities, including overseeing changes that led to the creation of the Municipality of Portmore.
Simpson Miller has a distinguished record of service at the global level. Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller was born on December 12, 1945, in the rural community of Wood Hill, St. Catherine. In 2011, she was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General to the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
She first entered national politics in 1976, when she was elected Member of Parliament for St. Andrew South Western, a seat she would hold for more than four decades.
Between the late 1980s and early 2000s, she became the first woman in Jamaican history to serve in several key ministerial roles, including Minister of Labour and Social Security, Minister of Tourism, Minister with responsibility for Sport, and Minister of Local Government and Community Development.
Her quest to satisfy the needs of the rural and urban poor led some Jamaicans to refer to her as the “female Bustamante.”
After Golding resigned as prime minister in October 2011, his successor, Andrew Holness, called early elections on December 29, and Simpson Miller led the PNP to a convincing victory over the JLP.
On January 5, she was sworn in again as prime minister, leading the nation into its 50th anniversary of independence.
In April 2012, she was named by the renowned Time magazine as one of the world’s most influential individuals.
During her second tenure, she led Jamaica through challenging economic constraints and restored the nation’s economy to a favorable standing; her actions earned the commendation of multilateral financial institutions like the IMF.
During her second tenure, Mrs.
Simpson-Miller’s popularity with poor and rural Jamaicans grew, and the government formed by the PNP was considered too firmly entrenched.
In acknowledgement of her dedication and commitment to urban renewal and community development, she received the Distinguished Award from the Mayor of the City of Miami in 2009. This achievement in the Municipal elections set the foundation for her rise in national politics and paved the way for her candidacy in the general elections of 1976 and 1980.
Her tenure was marked by visibility in her constituency, frequent home visits and a personal style of representation rooted in accessibility and connection.
Global Recognition & Strong Alliances
Simpson Miller’s leadership attracted significant international attention. Mrs. Simpson-Miller served a total of five years as Prime Minister, including her re-election for the 2012–2016 term.
She defeated Dr. Peter Phillips by 237 votes and consequently became Jamaica’s first female and seventh prime minister on March 31, 2006.
Although she was received with phenomenal popularity as prime minister and attempted to implement reforms to roll back the scourge of poverty, divisions in the PNP following the bruising presidential elections prevented her from being successful.
Not surprisingly, she retired as leader of the PNP and the opposition on April 2, 2017.
A biopic of the life and work of Portia Simpson Miller entitled “Break Every Rule” written and directed by Jamaican filmmaker, Lennie Little-White premiered in 2019.
Portia Simpson-Miller Turns 80: The Remarkable Legacy of Jamaica’s First Female Prime Minister
The Honourable Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaica’s first female Prime Minister, turns 80, a remarkable milestone in its own right, made even more significant by the fact that more than half of her life has been spent in public service.
at National Heroes Park, following a Thanksgiving Service at 9:30 a.m. Her Cabinet Portfolios included Minister of Labour and Security (1989), Minister of Tourism and Sport (2000) and Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sport (2002).
Jamaican gov’t buildings to be renamed in honor of Portia Simpson Miller, Lynden Newland
Two prominent government buildings in the Corporate Area will be renamed in honor of two influential figures in Jamaica’s labour movement, as part of the Workers’ Week 2025 celebrations.
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Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon.
Olivia Grange, made the announcement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 6. She studied at night at the Jamaica Commercial Institute, earned Pitman shorthand certification, completed professional training at the Institute of Management and Production and later earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration through an intensive programme that required weekly flights overseas while serving as a minister
She went on to complete a Certificate in Advanced Management at the University of California, Berkeley, and became the first graduate of the Union Institute & University to receive its Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
From the hills of Wood Hall to the highest office in the nation, she carved out space for Black working-class women in political leadership and helped modernise key social systems that continue to support Jamaicans today. That rural endorsement shaped her approach to public service for the next 40 years.
Named after Shakespeare’s Portia
Her father, Zedekiah Simpson, admired the intelligence and conviction of Portia in The Merchant of Venice and declared that one of his daughters would carry the name and enter the legal profession.
The Most Honourable Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller, ON, MP
2006-2007 & 2012-2016
Mrs.