Bahamas News
BAHAMAS: West End set to get economic boost with $2 Billion Grand Bahama Bay
#GrandBahama, June 13, 2018 – Bahama – Grand Bahama’s much anticipated economic turnaround took a positive step with a major 
investment in West End expected to come on stream soon, pending the signing of a Heads of Agreement with the Government of The Bahamas.
Attending a Town Hall Meeting in West End on Friday, June 8, 2018 to discuss the investment were: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. K. Peter Turnquest; Minister of State for Grand Bahama, Senator Kwasi Thompson; Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, and Member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe, representatives of BEST Commission, and residents from West End who turned out in full force to hear first-hand about the plans for the new Grand Bahama Bay.
“The unique thing about this project thus far is the level of local community involvement that has been a part of the project, and this Town Hall meeting is just another example of that,” said Minister Turnquest, following the meeting.
“The proposed overall project is very exciting for West End and for Grand Bahama and it could signal the beginning of the turnaround that we have been talking about for Grand Bahama. We are very excited about this project and what it could mean for this community.”
The proposed project could comprise over $2 billion invested in the quaint community of West End. Grand Bahama Bay is a project to be undertaken by Skyline Investments, through Grand Palm Beach Acquisitions Limited. The Canadian-based company has proposed to purchase 2,012 acres of real property, located in the western section of Grand Bahama Island, previously known as the Ginn Sur Mer Project.
The new development will be known as Grand Bahama Bay.
The Town Hall Meeting was held at Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in West End and was hosted by the Member of Parliament, Mrs. Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe, who said that the purpose of the meeting was two-fold – to present information and obtain feedback from the community.
One of the key principals in Skyline Investments, Danny Rothman, Chief Operating Officer, was on hand to share his vision with the people of West End and to hear their concerns.
“We have an opportunity to do something big, something unique, not just in Grand Bahama, but in the entire Caribbean,” said Mr. Rothman. “And the community of West End will play a big role in making this dream a reality.”
With over 2,000 acres at their disposal, Skyline Investments is looking to develop a one-of-a-kind resort that will include three hotels, including a Ritz Carlton Hotel; a major marina with some 150 slips; commercial shopping district with restaurants, ice cream parlors, retail and boutique stores, a supermarket, a resident village, with state-of-the-art homes for sale; a Smart City, which will act as a headquarters to high tech start-ups; personal businesses and consultancies, which will attract innovators from all over the world; state-of-the-art solar energy system making Grand Bahama Bay the first fully integrated green community in the Caribbean; a casino and another marina that will be designed specifically to accommodate mega yachts.
Deputy Prime Minister Turnquest noted that a great feature of the project is it will allow guests at the hotels to intermingle with the residents of West End, which will help to expand the cultural experience of visitors to Grand Bahama, West End in particular.
“Normally, in developments like these they try to keep the visitors in the hotels to one side and the residents to the other, but this project will allow interaction,” he said — part of the charm of West End being its people and its culture.
“The fact that the developers have agreed to be a part of this Town Meeting indicates their willingness to have the people involved in this project, even before anything actually begins, and that to me is a good thing.”
Minister of State for Grand Bahama, Senator Kwasi Thompson said the meeting between the developer and the people of West End was an important one, particularly before the signing of the Heads of Agreement. He noted that the Developer presented the vision to the people, who were receptive to the project. He pointed out that while some residents expressed some concerns, for the most part, the proposed project was well received by the people of West End.
“The employment levels are going to go up, the construction activity is going to go up, retail sales are going to go up and the tourism numbers are going to go up,” added Minister Thompson.
“There is no doubt that this project is going to provide great opportunity for West End in particular, and for Grand Bahama, generally. We are going to work very hard to help this development come to fruition and to see some real opportunity be provided for the people of Grand Bahama.”
Deputy Prime Minister Turnquest said now that the Government and the Developer have gotten favourable feedback from the residents of West End, plans are underway to arrange the signing of a Heads of Agreement for the project.
“There is no doubt that this project will be beneficial to Grand Bahama both in the short term and in the long term once this project begins,” said Minister Turnquest. “But overall, we’re excited about the amount of jobs that will be provided by a project of this magnitude in every single phase.”
Director of Operations for the West End project, Derek Gape, stated that the project will develop over a 10-year period. Mr. Gape explained that following the signing of the Heads of Agreement with the Government of The Bahamas, initial goals for the first 24 months of the project will include: creating a new 120-room hotel with commercial retail spaces and amenities; redeveloping and reopening the West End Airport; adding an additional 75 slips to the existing marina at the current Old Bahama Bay site; and bringing the world-class golf course into full operation.
By: Andrew Coakley (BIS)
Photo Captions:
Header: A Heads of Agreement between the Government of The Bahamas and Skyline Investments is expected to be signed soon for a major development in West End. A Town Hall meeting, to give West End residents the vision for Grand Bahama Bay, was held on Friday, June 8, 2018 at Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in West End. The meeting produced a favourable response from residents. On hand for the meeting were (from left) Don Cornish (Administrator for West End); Harcourt Brown, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister; Senator Kwasi Thompson, Minister of State for Grand Bahama; Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe, Member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama and Bimini; Danny Rothman, Chief Operating Officer for Skyline Investments; Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Peter Turnquest and Derek Gape, Director of Operations for Skyline Investments.
Insert: Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe answering a question, during the question-and-answer period of a Town Hall meeting in West End on Friday, June 8, 2018. The purpose of the meeting was for developers of Grand Bahama Bay to present their vision for a major development in West End over a 10-year period, which could revive entire West Grand Bahama. Listening were (l-r) Minister of State for Grand Bahama, Senator Kwasi Thompson; Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Peter Turnquest and Danny Rothman, Chief Operating Officer for Skyline Investments.
(BIS Photos/Andrew Miller)
Bahamas News
Sister Province/Island Relationship Agreement Signed between Grand Bahama Island and Hunan Province
By LLONELLA GILBERT
Bahamas Information Services
NASSAU, The Bahamas — A significant milestone was made in the development of bilateral relations between the Governments of The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China by the signing of the Sister Province/Island Relationship Agreement between Grand Bahama Island and Hunan Province.
The signing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. The Hon. Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama; the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, Minister of Health and Wellness; Kingsley Smith, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama and Joel Lewis, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama represented The Bahamas at the signing.
His Excellency Mao Weiming, Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; Qu Hai, Secretary General of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; Cui Wei, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; and Yang Peiran, Interpreter represented the People’s Republic of China.
Minister Moxey explained that in February 2022, she and the former Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas, Her Excellency Dai Qingli began discussion on the establishment of a province-island relationship between Hunan Province and Grand Bahama Island because of their “immense synergy”.
“Hunan has a vibrant creative industry and its capital city, Changsha is known as the entertainment capital of China, whilst Grand Bahama is poised to become the home of entertainment in ‘Our Bluepoint for Change’.”
She said Hunan Province boasts 11 industrial sectors and Grand Bahama is the industrial capital of The Bahamas. Further, innovation driven development has been a new driving force for Hunan, while Grand Bahama is poised to become the home of innovation for The Bahamas.
Minister Moxey said she is confident that an exchange of knowledge, ideas and culture will happen between the residents of Hunan Province and Grand Bahama.
“There is potential for robust trade in various sectors, opportunities for tourism promotion and intercultural appreciation, exchanges to support performing arts programs on our island, foster growth within the Orange Economy, and tap into China’s innovation, technology and vast expertise.”
She said that the formal signing aligns with the mission of Sister Cities International, which is to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation, one community at a time.
The Minister said, “Through collaborative programs and initiatives, this connection will support the government’s vision to diversity Grand Bahama’s economy to become the Home of Maritime and Logistics, Home of Events and Entertainment and Home of Innovation.”
She noted that in addition to signing the agreement, she looks forward to Grand Bahama residents benefitting from the signing of the Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding between Central South University and University of The Bahamas (UB), which will expand educational and technical cooperation between the two universities. The northern campus of UB is located in Grand Bahama.
His Excellency Mao Weiming said although geographically far apart, China and The Bahamas are friends with mutual respect and understanding as well as sincerity.
He explained that 27 years ago, both countries established diplomatic relations and China and The Bahamas have deepened their cooperation, strengthened their friendship and carried out many activities in the field of economy, trade and people-to-people exchange.
His Excellency recalled that in August 2022, he and Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis had a video conference where they both reached a consensus to cooperate in order to usher a new chapter in the relationship between Hunan and The Bahamas.
“Today, we are here to sign a sister-to-sister relationship between Hunan and Grand Bahama. It is [a] concrete move to implement
our consensus reached before and also to embark on a new journey of friendly exchanges.”
He added, “By establishing the relationship of sister cities, I believe the two sides will develop further in terms of economic and trade cooperation, people to people exchange, as well as friendship, and we will embrace new opportunities and deliver concrete benefits for the two peoples.”
He explained that Hunan, which is the home town of Chairman Mao, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, has developed very advanced industries of manufacturing, agriculture, education, culture as well as tourism.
His Excellency said he believes that Hunan and Grand Bahama enjoy very broad room for cooperation.
He said, “More efforts should be made to conduct cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, culture, education and the film industry so as to realize a connectivity between our two sides in terms of logistics and the platform cooperation; so as to deliver concrete benefits for the people and to make our due contribution to the bilateral relationship between China and The Bahamas.”
PHOTO CAPTION
A significant milestone was made in the development of bilateral relations between the Governments of The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China by the signing of the Sister Province/Island Relationship Agreement between Grand Bahama Island and Hunan Province. The signing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Shown from left: Qu Hai, Secretary General of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; Cui Wei, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; Yang Peiran, Interpreter H.E. Mao Weiming, Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; the Hon. Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama; the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, Minister of Health and Wellness; Kingsley Smith, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama and Joel Lewis, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama.
(BIS Photos/Anthon Thompson)
Nassau, Bahamas: The Nassau Cruise Port has donated $1.95 million towards projects that will assist the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources in its aim to increase food security for The Bahamas.
The donation officially occurred at the Ministry’s offices recently, where Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Hon. Jomo Campbell, Minister of Labour Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle, Permanent Secretary Neil Campbell and Nassau Cruise Port CEO Mike Maura listened to a number of presentations including one for a poultry programme for schools, a chicken broiler production programme, the redevelopment of the Blue Hill Road Farmers Market and an Authentic Bahamian Cultural Concept Store,
Mr. Maura said he was impressed by the presentations.
“I had the privilege to listen to the presentations and review presentations that touched on food security and the need for us to be self-sufficient, which as a Bahamian I support completely. At the Nassau Cruise Port, we get excited about the prospects of offering more authentic food to the millions of visitors that we have each year,” he said.
“And then, in addition to that, we had presentations around the further development of our artisans, which is so important to us as well. The guests visiting our shores are looking for something that really touches The Bahamas and can’t be found somewhere else. The Nassau Cruise Port has made a pledge to BAIC and its affiliates. We will be supporting the projects that were presented and we can’t wait to get started.”
Minister Glover-Rolle, who is also the Member of Parliament for Golden Gates, hailed Nassau Cruise Port as a “great community partner.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to not only present but agreeing to participate. Our Minister of Agriculture has a goal of reducing food imports by 25 percent by the year 2025 and our project in the Golden Gates Community speaks to that,” she said.
“We have a number of backyard farmers, farmers and fishers in our community in Golden Gates. Being able to use the Blue Hill Road Farmers Market, which is going to be dubbed the ‘Fish Fry of the South,’ as a hub for food security but also a hub where artisans and handicraft persons can come and sell their wares is wonderful. So, we are happy that you have agreed to partner with us and we look forward to a partnership and we hope to welcome some of your visitors when this amazing renovation is done.”
Minister Campbell also lauded the Nassau Cruise Port for its efforts.
“I would like to say thank you to the presenters for the presentations that are several steps in the right direction for our country, to Mr. Maura and his board at the Nassau Cruise Port and I would like to say thanks to God for this partnership and bringing us all together as we move forward, upward, together in building a better, brighter, future for The Bahamas,” he said.
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas#RoyalCaribbean, April 23, 2024- After being delayed following its announcement in 2020, Royal Caribbean’s new 17 acre Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, is now in the works and is scheduled to be ready for 2025, according to reports. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday April 22, signifying the start of construction in the next few months. This project is huge for The Bahamas as it’s a first of kind for the nation, with a unique public private partnership allowing Bahamians to hold up to 49 percent in equity.
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