Tonia Williams | Measuring what matters: How data systems can transform our nation in 2026

Imagine a Jamaica where real-time data shows which hospitals have available beds, which schools need urgent repairs, and which roads pose the greatest safety risks. This is what better data systems could offer us, and it should be our future.

Thriving nations in the 21st century share one trait. They track, measure, and respond with precision. Jamaica’s 2026 priority must be joining these ranks by transforming how we collect and use data within and across sectors. We cannot manage what we cannot measure, and right now too many of our challenges remain invisible until they become crises.

Our social systems need integrated digital infrastructure with databases tracking hospital capacity, school enrolment, and infrastructure conditions. This would transform governance, allowing us to intervene before students drop out, deploy mosquito control before dengue cases spike, and repair roads before they fail. Real-time data turns reactive governments into proactive service for our nation.

Building these systems means investing in our people as much as our technology. We need phased implementation that works even when connectivity fails, data analysts who can turn numbers into insights, and researchers who can ensure we ask the right questions.

However, data-driven governance shouldn’t stop at our borders. A Caribbean data consortium would give us coordinated disaster response and regional disease monitoring. As we build our own systems, Jamaica can lead this effort, and even establish technical standards that benefit the entire region.

The investment is significant, but the returns will be transformative. By December 2026, Jamaica should operate on evidence rather than guesswork, with real-time insights driving decisions across healthcare, education, and public services. We can be a nation that chooses clarity over confusion and accountability over opacity. This transformation must begin now, with data.

Tonia Williams is Jamaica’s 2022 Rhodes Scholar. A doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, her research on literacy development in Jamaica has informed educational interventions across multiple countries.