Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Turks and Caicos, September 6, 2025 – Turks and Caicos Islands’ import bill is telling a story far bigger than dollars and cents. The Statistics Authority’s half-year trade bulletin shows Panama exploding onto the scene as a major supplier, with shipments rising nearly 600 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

On paper, it looks like TCI has suddenly fallen in love with Panamanian goods. In reality, it’s a snapshot of how the islands are being swept into the currents of global geopolitics.

Panama’s 582% Surge

Between January and June, imports from Panama leapt from just $166,000 in 2024 to $1.13 million this year — an eye-watering 582% increase. But Panama isn’t a new manufacturing powerhouse; it’s a logistics hub. Its Colón Free Trade Zone, one of the largest in the world, specializes in re-exporting Chinese and Latin American goods across the Caribbean.

For Turks and Caicos, that means everything from Hisense televisions and Lenovo laptops to Haier refrigerators is increasingly being routed through Panama instead of Miami or Nassau. Importers are finding cheaper prices, better bulk deals, and fewer tariff headaches as global trade tensions drive up U.S.–China costs.

“The trade war between Washington and Beijing looks remote from Grand Turk or Providenciales,” one local trader told Magnetic Media, “but it shows up right here on our docks. We’re buying the same Chinese products — they just happen to arrive with Panamanian paperwork.”

Italy’s Luxury Touch

While Panama grabbed the headlines with percentages, Italy’s exports to TCI also nearly tripled, climbing from $281,000 to $967,000 (+244%). The bulletin does not identify specific goods, but Italian exports globally are known for furniture, tiles, fashion, and leather products.

Poland’s Quiet Rise

Another surprise name in the trade tables is Poland, which saw exports to TCI almost double, from $3.86 million to $7.18 million (+86%). Poland is among the world’s leading furniture exporters, and its rise in TCI’s statistics underscores how European suppliers are increasingly part of the islands’ import mix.

South Caicos on the Move

The report also points to South Caicos as a key growth point. Imports through the South Caicos Customs Main Office jumped from $384,000 to $2.93 million (+663%), while the South Caicos Harbour Master nearly doubled from $3.6 million to $6.9 million (+94%). Officials link the surge to the island’s new Norman B. Saunders Sr. International Airport and the opening of the Salterra Resort & Spa, signaling how major developments can reshape local trade flows.

The U.S. Still Dominates — Especially Food                                                                                                                                                                            For all the shifts, one fact remains unchanged: the United States is TCI’s biggest supplier, accounting for $443.5 million in imports in the first half of 2025, up 19 percent from the year before. A large chunk of that increase came from food and live animals, which rose 18 percent overall to $103.9 million.

Supermarkets and resorts are stocked with familiar American staples — from Kraft Heinz ketchup and PepsiCo beverages to Tyson Foods’ frozen meats. As the population grows and the tourism sector drives up demand, the U.S. remains the breadbasket and supermarket for the islands.

A Changing Trade Map

Add it all together and the picture is striking. The Turks and Caicos Islands imported $479.5 million worth of goods in the first six months of 2025, up 14.7 percent year-on-year. But behind the topline growth is a reshaped trade map:

• Panama’s re-exports stand in for Chinese goods once routed through the U.S.
• Italy and Poland supply higher-end goods, likely for the growing tourism and construction sectors.
• South Caicos is now a visible player in national trade flows.

For a small economy, these aren’t just accounting quirks — they’re signals of how global forces, local projects, and shifting supply chains intersect. A trade war between giants half a world away is rewriting who stamps the paperwork on the islands’ televisions, sofas, and ketchup bottles.

And as South Caicos’ surge proves, a single development project can swing millions of dollars in international trade.

FYI — The Numbers at a Glance

• Total imports (Jan–Jun 2025): $479.5M (+14.7%)
• Panama: $1.13M (+582%)
• Italy: $967K (+244%)
• Poland: $7.18M (+86%)
• U.S.: $443.5M (+19%)

For Turks and Caicos, the trade bulletin isn’t just about numbers. It’s about where the islands fit in a world of shifting power, supply chains, and resort-driven transformation. And for 2025, Panama, Italy, Poland — and South Caicos — are the names to watch.

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 27 August 2025:  In a significant step toward strengthening maritime safety and professional standards in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Department of Maritime Affairs (Ministry of Tourism), in partnership with the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (TCICC) TVET Department and the LJM Maritime Academy – Nassau, Bahamas, successfully delivered the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) training to fifty-nine (59) mariners.

Of this number, forty-nine (49) participants received their first certification, while ten (10) completed re-certification, ensuring that the TCI continues to expand its pool of trained and globally recognised maritime professionals.

The Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, Honourable Rachel Taylor, commended the initiative while congratulating the participants, noting: The Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, Honourable Rachel Taylor, commended the initiative while congratulating the participants, noting:

Personal Survival Techniques Training

“Today we celebrate not only the certification of fifty-nine men and women, but also the strengthening of our nation’s human capital. This milestone affirms that our investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is yielding results, creating real opportunities for our people in high-demand global industries. STCW certification ensures that Turks and Caicos Islanders are not only employable, but also competitive on the world stage, equipped with skills that meet the highest international maritime standards. I am particularly proud that this training was delivered here at home, reducing barriers to access and affirming our commitment to expanding local capacity in alignment with the Blue Economy. To our graduates, I charge you to use this certification as a launchpad whether in tourism, fisheries, environmental management, or private enterprise and to represent the Turks and Caicos Islands with professionalism, discipline, and excellence.”

This training represents the Government’s continued commitment to aligning with global maritime conventions and advancing the Turks and Caicos Islands’ Blue Economy through the development of skilled local capacity. Participants represented a wide cross-section of both public and private entities, including the Turks and Caicos Ports Authority, Department of Maritime and Shipping, Marine Police Branch, Amanyara Resort, Beaches Resort, Southbank, Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources, Department of Fisheries and Marine Resource Management, and several private charter companies.

Honourable Zhavargo Jolly, Minister of Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries, Heritage and the Environment, echoed Minister Taylor’s sentiments, adding: “This milestone speaks to the direction we are taking as a country. By equipping our people with internationally recognised STCW certification, we are strengthening maritime safety standards, while more importantly opening doors for Turks and Caicos Islanders to take their place in the global maritime economy. Whether starting their own marine based businesses or serving on private yachts within our own ports, this training ensures our people are prepared, competitive, and respected at the highest levels.

I want to commend the Department of Maritime and Shipping, the TCICC team, and our partners at the LJM Maritime Academy for making this opportunity possible here at home. Most importantly, I congratulate the 59 mariners who have completed this training. You are pioneers of the new blue economy we are building, and your success sends a powerful signal: Turks and Caicos Islanders are ready to lead, not only locally but internationally.”

Through this specialised programme, participants gained critical instruction in the following core areas of STCW Basic Training:

• Personal Survival Techniques (PST) – STCW Code A-VI/1-1
• Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (FPFF) – STCW Code A-VI/1-2
• Elementary First Aid (EFA) – STCW Code A-VI/1-3
• Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR) – STCW Code A-VI/1-4
• Proficiency in Security Awareness

Established by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the STCW Convention sets global benchmarks for the training and certification of seafarers. It ensures that all personnel working on ships are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to operate safely, respond effectively to emergencies, and carry out their duties in accordance with international maritime standards.

In this context, the initiative aligns directly with the Turks and Caicos Islands’ national maritime development strategy, supporting the growth of a robust and compliant maritime industry, expanding employment opportunities for local seafarers, and enhancing the country’s reputation as a responsible, safety-conscious jurisdiction.

The training was conducted at the TCICC Campus from Tuesday, 19 August to Saturday, 23 August 2025, under the leadership of the LJM Maritime Academy, Nassau, Bahamas, with instruction provided by Captain Clayton Delaney and Mr. Kermit Turnquest (Chief Petty Officer, Royal Bahamas Defense Force).

Chairman of the Board of Governors of TCICC, Mrs. Sheba Wilson, commended the team for the successful execution of the course, stating, “The inaugural STCW training exemplifies TCICC’s unwavering commitment to aligning education with the needs of our nation. By certifying 59 participants, we are not only strengthening workforce readiness but also empowering our people to uphold the standard of excellence that continues to define the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier tourism destination.”

In remarks delivered on her behalf, Dr. Candice Williams, President of TCICC, highlighted the broader significance of this milestone:

“You join a growing network of skilled professionals ready to elevate maritime standards, drive responsible operations, and lead with integrity on every horizon, shore and sea. This certification opens doors to diverse, high-impact roles and sets a powerful example for others to follow.

The TCICC President also issued a charge to participants, “As you celebrate this milestone, seize every chance to deepen your skills, pursue additional credentials, and contribute to a thriving and sustainable blue economy. The Turks and Caicos Islands Community College is committed to supporting your journey every mile along your blue-economy journey.”

The Department of Maritime and Shipping and the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (TCICC) expressed satisfaction with the training’s outcome, proudly noting a 100% pass rate among participants. This achievement reinforces confidence that the newly certified mariners will continue to represent the Turks and Caicos Islands with distinction, professionalism, and the highest maritime standards. The STCW certification initiative signals a new era for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Islands, creating pathways for young people and professionals to gain globally recognised skills without leaving the country.

By Eric Rose
Bahamas Information Services

NASSAU, The Bahamas – During his Official Address at the Opening Ceremony of the 40th Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organisations (CANTO) Conference and Trade Exhibition, on July 13, 2025, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis noted that, while the digital revolution promised so much, it also laid bare “the deep disparities between what is possible and what is currently real for too many of our citizens”.

“Across the Caribbean, there are still children who cannot access reliable internet to complete a school assignment,” Prime Minister Davis said at the event held at Baha Mar Convention Centre.  “There are small businesses shut out of global markets because the infrastructure simply doesn’t exist. There are civil servants expected to deliver 21st-century services with 20th-century tools.”

“And if we are being honest with ourselves – if we are truly committed to the people we serve – we must admit that while the world is building faster, smarter, and more connected systems, we are still moving too slowly, too unevenly, too cautiously,” he added.

Among those present included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Hon. Chester Cooper and other Cabinet Ministers; Prime Minister of Grenada the Hon. Dickon Mitchell and other regional senior Government officials; Secretary General of ITU Mrs. Doreen Bogdan-Martin; Commissioner of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Brendan Carr; CANTO Chairman Dr. Delreo Newman; CANTO Secretary General Teresa Wankin; Chief Executive Officer Liberty Caribbean Inge Smidts and other representatives of event sponsors; US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Kimberly Furnish and other members of the Diplomatic Corps; CANTO Board Member and Bahamian John Gomez; and various local and international stakeholders.

According to the organization, CANTO is a non-profit association made up of operators, organizations, companies and individuals in the ICT (telecommunications) sector.  The Association has a Caribbean focus as it relates to ICT issues for the region with a global perspective.

Prime Minister Davis pointed out to those in attendance that they were living through one of the most “profound shifts in human history”.

He said:  “Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, blockchain – these are not distant possibilities.  They are shaping global markets now, influencing public life now, redefining power now.  And yet, at the same time, many of our nations are still grappling with the basics: ensuring rural communities have access to broadband, that schools have devices, and that citizens can interact with their governments without having to take a day off work.

Prime Minister Davis added:  “This is not just a matter of development – it is a matter of, in my view, justice.  Because when access to digita systems determines access to opportunity, exclusion is no longer just economic.  It becomes structural.  It becomes generational.  It becomes a quiet, creeping injustice – robbing people of the right to fully participate in modern life.”

He pointed out that it was not a story of defeat.                                                                                                                                “There is another side to this story, a story of what is possible when political will meets practical action,” Prime Minister Davis stated.

He noted that The Bahamas had proven that leadership in the digital space did not depend on size, but on vision and courage.

Prime Minister Davis said:  “We became the first nation in the world to launch a central bank digital currency, the Sand Dollar, not as a symbolic gesture, but as a practical solution to a real problem: how do we ensure that people across a scattered archipelago of 700 islands can access safe, efficient, and modern financial services?

“We followed that bold move with the passage of the DARE Act – one of the world’s earliest and clearest attempts to regulate the digital asset space responsibly,” he added.  “In doing so, we rejected the view that small states must wait on global consensus before acting.

“We proved that we can lead on our own terms, for our own people.  This is what effective digital policy looks like: action rooted in equity, grounded in law, and aimed at building real opportunity.”

However, he said, isolated success was not enough.

“Because if some countries lead while others lag, we do not become a region of progress – we become a region divided,” Prime Minister Davis said.  “And in a world as interconnected as ours, no nation can afford to advance alone.”

He added:  “We are therefore called, not just to lead individually, but to act collectively; to build systems that are interoperable, secure, and inclusive; to invest not only in platforms, but in people — in the teachers who will train the coders, in the regulators who will govern the platforms, and in the young people whose ideas will power the next wave of innovation.”

He pointed out that all must also be clear-eyed about the dangers.

“We must also be clear: this is not simply about platforms or data storage – it is about security, sovereignty, and stability,” Prime Minister Davis stated.

He added:  “Cybercrime is not a future threat. It is a present one. Misinformation, data exploitation, and digital surveillance are eroding trust and weakening democratic institutions.  Our electoral systems are vulnerable.  Our public databases are exposed. Our citizens are being targeted – not with bombs or bullets – but with falsehoods, with manipulation, with breaches of privacy that go unseen but cut deep.  This is the nature of modern conflict – quiet, digital, and relentless.

“And if we do not build the legal, institutional, and technical frameworks to confront these threats now, then we will lose control of the very systems we depend on to function as sovereign nations.”

Digital colonization was not just about who owned the infrastructure, Prime Minister Davis pointed out.

“It is about who decides what is true, who has access to power, who profits from our participation, and who shapes the rules of this century’s economy,” he said.

“And if we do not secure our digital future, someone else will define it for us,” Prime Minister Davis added.  “So the question before us is not whether the world is changing. It is whether we are willing to change with it – and whether we are prepared to do so with the urgency, seriousness, and moral clarity this moment demands.”

He continued:  “We must act not simply because the technology exists, but because justice requires it; because no child should be left behind due to a lack of signal; no business should be locked out of opportunity because of where it is located; and no country, no matter how small, should be told that it cannot shape its own digital destiny.

“This is the time for resolve; for responsibility; and, above all, for leadership rooted in service to the people we are elected to serve.”

Prime Minister Davis pointed out that countries can choose to be a region that is ahead, or “we can continue, year after year, to fall behind”.

“There is no middle ground,” he stated.  “The pace of global change is too fast. The stakes are too high.  The costs of inaction are no longer theoretical.  They are visible, measurable, and already being borne by the most vulnerable in our societies.”

“To be ahead means investing – seriously – in our digital infrastructure, in training teachers not just to teach literacy and numeracy, but to prepare students for the economies of tomorrow,” Prime Minister Davis noted.  “To be ahead means ensuring our young people have access not just to devices, but to the education, mentorship, and capital needed to become creators – not just consumers – in the digital world.

“To be ahead means building regional resilience – not as a talking point, but as a common framework for cybersecurity, data protection, and cloud infrastructure that secures our sovereignty in a world where power is shifting from the physical to the digital.”

He stated that to be ahead also meant having the courage to confront the uncomfortable.

Prime Minister Davis asked:  “Why are some of our best minds still forced to leave the region to find opportunity?  Why are Caribbean innovators still struggling to access funding when the world is awash in capital for digital transformation?  Why do we spend more time adopting external platforms than building our own?”

He told those in attendance that if they all wanted to lead, they all cannot simply copy models from abroad.

Prime Minister Davis said:  “We must build systems that reflect our values, our realities, and our aspirations.  We must stop asking: ‘Is the Caribbean ready?’ and instead ask: ‘What is required of us to lead?’.”

He stated that readiness was not a matter of capacity – it was a matter of will.

“There are small nations around the world, with fewer resources than ours, that have chosen to be laboratories for innovation, because they understood that leadership is not about size, it’s about seriousness,” Prime Minister Davis noted.

“We can be among them,” he added.  “We must be among them.”

Prime Minister Davis said that the alternative of  “drifting further into digital dependence, watching our economic margins erode, our young talent disengage, our public services falter  was not just unacceptable, it was avoidable.”

“But only if we act now, and act together,” he stated.  “Let this not be another moment where we admire the challenge but shrink from the responsibility.”

“Let this be the moment we say: the Caribbean will lead – not by default, but by design; not because we had more, but because we chose to do more with what we had,” he added.

 PHOTO CAPTION

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis speaks, during his Official Address at the Opening Ceremony of the 40th Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organisations (CANTO) Conference and Trade Exhibition, on July 13, 2025, at Baha Mar Convention Centre.  Among those present included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Hon. I. Chester Cooper and other Cabinet Ministers; Prime Minister of Grenada the Hon. Dickon Mitchell and other regional senior Government officials; Secretary General of ITU Mrs. Doreen Bogdan-Martin; Commissioner of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Brendan Carr; CANTO Chairman Dr. Delreo Newman; CANTO Secretary General Teresa Wankin; Chief Executive Officer Liberty Caribbean Inge Smidts and other representatives of event sponsors; US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Kimberly Furnish and other members of the Diplomatic Corps; CANTO Board Member and Bahamian John Gomez; and various local and international stakeholders.     (BIS Photos/Eric Rose)