Bahamas News
Education Minister Heads Impressive List of Speakers at 2nd Annual GB Tech Summit
#Freeport, GB, November 6, 2018 – Bahamas – Minister of Education, the Hon. Jeffrey Lloyd heads an impressive list of speakers at the Second Annual Grand Bahama Technology Summit, set to take place, November 14-16 at the Grand Lucayan.
With a special presentation on ‘the future of education,’ Minister Lloyd is expected to expound on a number of government policies and initiatives to come on stream to revamp the educational system in The Bahamas, through the use of technology.
A major advocate for the advancement of technology in schools, Minister Lloyd believes that not only is the advancement of technology in schools inevitable, but it is long overdue in The Bahamas on a wider scale.
“No longer can we exist in a country where the world is advancing through technology around us, and we not be affected,” Minister Lloyd said during his recent budget presentation in Parliament. “We, as a nation must embrace this advancement of technology to benefit our schools, as well as move along the education of our children.”
In a tour of schools on Grand Bahama, just before the start of the new term, Minister Lloyd spoke with members of the media about how the advancement of technology in schools can also positively affect the change of the school’s curriculum.
With several gift presentations of laptops and tablets to primary and junior schools throughout the country by the government, as well as by private companies, Minister Lloyd is looking forward to all of the government schools throughout the country being fully computerized as well as equipped with internet and Wi-Fi capability in a very short period of time.
“We are anticipating having all of our schools throughout the country properly equipped with Wi-Fi capability, which will allow students, under the guidance of teachers, to access the internet, opening up the window of greater learning ability,” said Minister Lloyd. “The advancement of technology in our schools is something which this government is committed to, and moving forward this is one of the major focuses of the Ministry of Education.”
The programs to be implemented by the government are anticipated to be a part of Minister’s Lloyd’s presentation, as this year’s Grand Bahama Tech Summit focuses on education.
Also on the list of speakers at the Summit will be Minister of State for Grand Bahama, one of the initiators of the Grand Bahama Technology Summit — Senator Kwasi Thompson, who will close out the conclave and reveal the way ahead for the GB Technology Steering Committee in their quest to make Grand Bahama a Technology Hub within the region.
Other local speakers at this year’s summit will include Kristie Powell, who will lead a panel discussion on ‘transforming education for the future’; Mark Godson, Managing Director/Americas of GIBC Digital (‘2020 Vision Digital Transformation Plan’); Eugen Winschel, VP of SAP Global Business Operations (‘The Future: Experience the Intelligent Enterprise’); Gravette Brown, business development leader at Aliv, major sponsor of this year’s summit (‘Transforming the Future of Business’); and a representative of Grand Bahama Power Company (‘The future of Energy in Grand Bahama’).
Powell, one of few Bahamians with the privilege of having worked at Google in Silicon Valley, has recently returned home to advance technology in education for Bahamians. As a member of the Grand Bahama Technology Hub Steering Committee, Powell’s focus is on the importance of advancing technology in education; and she is expected to play a significant part Grand Bahama’s immersion into cutting-edge technology.
Eugen Winschel crafts the vision, strategy and roadmap for Enterprise Artificial Intelligence. He has been recognized as a visionary and creative thinker, passionate about challenging the status quo, with an innate ability to simplify complex issues. He brings a unique combination of business and technical savvy. Eugen has gained life experience on three continents, having worked in seven different industries, from automotive to advertising and high tech. He frequently shares his passion for the future of technology and user experience as a speaker and a panelist.
Jeff Campbell is vice-president, the Americas, of Government Affairs at CISCO Systems Inc., the global leader of Internet networking. Since 2001, Campbell has been responsible for developing and implementing CISCO’s public policy agenda with respect to telecommunications, trade, energy, environment, security and technology issues. In addition to his expertise in telecommunications regulations, Mr. Campbell has been involved in public policy with respect to intellectual property law, Internet regulation, energy regulation, international trade and information technology regulation. Prior to joining CISCO, Mr. Campbell headed the Washington government affairs office of Compaq Computers. He will speak on the topic, ‘The Future is Smart.’
Also presenting is John Padgett, Chief Experience and Innovation Officer, Carnival Corporation (‘Innovation, Key to the Future’). Padgett is responsible for ensuring that the largest cruise company in the world creates 
experiences that exceed guests’ needs, wants and desires. He creates original game-changing experiences through the fusion of creativity, technology and operations, all centered on the guests. He is the brain behind “Ocean Medallion,” a wearable technology device that allows guests to experience every aspect of the ship while on a cruise, without having to present a card or cash. Padgett’s span of operations includes Carnival Corporation cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Australia and P&O Cruises. Padgett is also one of the innovators of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts projects, including the invention, development and implementation of many guest experiences, particularly ‘MagicBands,’ ‘FastPass,’ ‘Be Our Guest Restaurant’ and ‘Disney’s Magical Express.’
Riho Kurg, head of Product, Cybernetica, another international speaker at this year’s GB Tech Summit, will give a special presentation on e-government digitization reform, the Estonian model. A very important topic, as the Government of The Bahamas seeks to bring to full fruition e-government.
The second annual Grand Bahama Technology Summit will be held under the theme, ‘The Future is Now.’
Press Release: BIS
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
