Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer 

December 11, 2023 – Antimicrobial resistance is an important development globally for the near future, and Mia Mottley highlighted the seriousness of this amid climate change effects.

Mottley highlights this, acknowledging the new development of health being at the center of climate efforts.

She points out that focusing on health gives the world a chance to be steps ahead of what can happen due to the changing climatic conditions, and she specifically refers to “new pathogens.”

“There’s a strong possibility of new pathogens that will develop, and we expect that we need to be able to ensure that we are in a position to treat people when and if these new pathogens become a reality across our globe,” she said.

She continued to speak of her support for the Health Global Initiative, which focuses on antimicrobial resistance, a necessity, as she points out, adding that it’s the third largest killer in the world, hence the importance of resistance.

Mottley further underscores the grave nature of antimicrobial resistance, expressing the prediction that it is the largest reason for deaths by 2050, reversing a century of medical progress, she says.

In fact, the level of seriousness runs so deep that Mottley says acts such as going to the dentist and having a baby will be high-risk if stronger efforts aren’t made regarding resistance.

Expressing that more needs to be done for antimicrobial resistance, Mottley referred to the number of firms doing research in the year 2000, compared to now.

“In the year 2000, the world had 20 firms doing research on antimicrobial resistance and looking for new antibiotics; today there are four firms.”

Next year, in 2024, there will be a General Assembly on antimicrobial resistance, and Mottley maintained that it might hopefully reignite and reposition in people’s minds the need for more financing for antimicrobial resistance. She emphasized this by highlighting that this COVID-19 pandemic was a lesson, showing the world what happens when it’s not prepared for new pathogens.

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer 

“Records are now being broken so often, that we are perhaps becoming immune to what they are really telling us;” this is the concern expressed by His Majesty King Charles, regarding the direction the world is going due to climate change effects.

Charles says the world must hit the pause button and process what the constant recording breaking really means.

He emphasized his concern, referring to recent record-breaking events such as the last northern hemisphere summer, which came with the warmest global average temperature on record, and Canada’s most severe wildfire season on record, with 18 and a half million hectares of land burned and terrible losses of life and property, in common with Greece, the United States, and many other countries, which also resulted in the release of large amounts of greenhouse gases, worsening the climate crisis.

Additionally, Charles III also spoke of other drastic events.

“Repeated cyclones batter vulnerable island nations like Vanuatu and Dominican. India, Bangladesh and Pakistan have been experiencing unprecedented floods, and East Africa is suffering a decades-long drought.”

To beat this self-induced fate, the king expressed that efforts should be made to “rapidly repair and restore” what he described as “nature’s unique economy, based on harmony and balance,” the “ultimate sustainer.”

Otherwise, the world’s economy and survivability “will be in peril,” he added.

The king continued to highlight the outcomes of human action during the climate crisis, saying, “We are taking the natural world outside balanced norms and limits and into dangerous uncharted territory.”

He continued to express that the rate at which human actions are going is too fast for nature to keep up with.

“We are carrying out a vast frightening experiment of changing every ecological condition all at once, at a pace that far outstrips nature’s ability to cope,” he also said, later highlighting the importance of being nature-positive in our efforts toward a zero-carbon future.

Charles III further referred to public finance being insufficient funding for the climate crisis. However, with the private sector and a better, fairer International financial system, combined with the innovative use of risk reduction tools, he says the trillions needed can be mobilized in the order of four and a half to five trillion annually to drive the needed transformation.

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Philip Davis on Thursday, December 7 noted the company is a “beacon of national pride” and evidence that all Bahamians can thrive, when giving the keynote address at a ceremony for Bahamas Mineral and Manufacturing Corporation Ltd., at the company’s site on Queen’s Highway.

The Groundbreaking and Cornerstone Laying Ceremony were held at BMMC Ltd. grounds on Queen’s Highway where the headquarters for the new establishment will be.

He said two companies manufacturing pipes, one in Grand Bahama and one in Nassau, have gone out of business, and added that this one will not. Once the company can meet the demand, it will be too costly for businesses to import the product due to tariffs.

The government is committed to assisting young entrepreneurs like Mitchell Thurston by providing the necessary tools to ensure they are not alone on their journey to success.

“This approach is not just an investment in individuals, but an investment in the very fabric of our nation’s economy and future.”

With the company being 100 percent Bahamian owned, and “perfectly aligned with our governments Blueprint for Change,” he said, “by reducing reliance on PVC products and establishing a local production facility, BMMC is not only supporting Bahamian infrastructure, but also aligning with the nation’s environmental sustainability goals.”

The ceremony heralds a future where industry and economy are strengthened.

“Grand Bahama” said the Prime Minister, “must and will be the blueprint for growth and development.”

He added, “It is a stepping stone towards a brighter, more sustainable and prosperous future for The Bahamas and all Bahamians.”

Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey described the day as “grand” in being present for the groundbreaking and cornerstone laying for the state-of-the-art facility which will “revolutionize the construction and manufacturing industries” throughout the country, especially Grand Bahama.

“This new venture envisions opening doors to innovative learning for our students, innovative careers and jobs for Bahamians and spin-off opportunities for new and existing businesses.”

She added that innovation is “critical to the growth and sustainability of our island’s economy. This is why Grand Bahama has been deemed the Home of Innovation in our Blueprint for Change.”

BMMC’s president, Mitchell Thurston, said the project was two years and eight months in the making. Grand Bahama is the perfect location for their headquarters because of the affordability and availability of land; reliable infrastructure; and the proximity to the Container Port, the gateway to the global market.

To date, 13 jobs have been created and filled and through subcontracts throughout the various phases, it is anticipated that 80 jobs will be available during the construction phase. It is hoped they will be able to have a workforce of 33 skilled and unskilled labourers.

Additionally, BMMC will introduce a cadet programme in the Grand Bahama schools, and the top students will be offered jobs to join their team.
Also present were members of the Board of Directors, shareholders of the company led by President Mitchell Thurston, along with representatives from the Grand Bahama Port Authority, Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, family and friends all of whom gathered for the occasion.