Bahamas News
Lenny Kravitz donates $100,000 in Food Vouchers to Bahamas
#NASSAU, The Bahamas – June 24, 2020 –Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell, commended Rock Legend Lenny Kravitz for Mr. Kravitz’s recent donation of $100,000 worth of food vouchers. The Department of Social Services, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, was tasked with distributing the food vouchers.
Minister Campbell said it was his hope that the donation would inspire others “with the means to do so”– within The Bahamas and the wider Bahamian Diaspora around the globe — to follow suit.
An award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and actor, Mr. Kravitz made an initial donation of $50,000 in food vouchers to be distributed among persons in need in New Providence and Grand Bahama. The donation was made through Mr. Kravitz’s Let Love Rule Foundation.
Ms. Kim Sawyer, Deputy Director, Department of Social Services, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, spearheaded oversight of the distribution process. Ms. Sawyer said officials focused on the most vulnerable populations — the elderly, persons from the community of persons with disabilities and persons with chronic, non-communicable illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney disease – as they require special diets.
Consultations were done in collaboration with the Senior Citizens Division, Disability Affairs Division, Community Support Services Division, Health Social Services and the Urban Renewal Commission, the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development. Officials also consulted with counterparts at the Cancer Society.
Requests from certain groups operating Soup Kitchens that, because of the Emergency Orders relative to Curfews and Lock Downs could not operate in their usual manner, were also facilitated.
The Rock Legend made a second donation of $50,000 in food vouchers to be equally distributed between “persons in need” in New Providence and those in his “beloved” Eleuthera.
“The Bahamas is proud of Lenny’s many accomplishments, but we are even more proud of the fact that with all that he has accomplished, he has not forgotten his origin; that he still takes time out to champion causes in The Bahamas; that he still takes time out to ensure that our tourism product gets the attention that is necessary to cause our numbers to increase,” Minister Campbell said.
“But that is not enough for him. He helps not just with his talents, but also with his time and treasure and that deserves our appreciation. It is our hope that this would inspire persons at home who are able to, and others in the Diaspora around the globe, to come back home, to look back home, to send back home any sort of assistance that will lighten the burden on some, and that will inspire others to be the best that they can be.”
Minister Campbell said another fascinating aspect of Mr. Kravitz’s “amazing philanthropy” was the fact that the Rock Legend was hesitant about receiving publicity surrounding the multiple donations.
“As a matter of fact, we had to almost force him to allow us to thank him publicly because he did not want to receive any kind of public accolades, but the Bahamian people needed to know that he is helping in more ways than one. On behalf of the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, on behalf of the Government and people of The Bahamas, on behalf of all of the persons that would have directly benefited from the donation, we wish to applaud his generosity,” Minister Campbell added.
Mr. Kravitz has officially served as the Ministry of Tourism’s Brand Ambassador since 2019, creatively collaborating and starring in The Ministry’s ‘Fly Away’, ‘Still Rockin’ and ‘From The Bahamas With Love’ campaigns. Tourism officials say his contributions to these campaigns have helped reveal the authentic spirit of The Bahamas as a destination of adventure and discovery. Both campaigns were well received globally.
The Ministry of Tourism and Aviation assisted with the coordination and logistics of the exercise. A statement issued by the Ministry said: “Mr. Kravitz is a true philanthropist and most of his charitable initiatives go unrecognized. He has been there for The Bahamas in our darkest hour. Lenny used star power to bring awareness of the dire situation in Grand Bahama and The Abacos immediately following Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.
“In addition, for many years through his Let Love Rule Foundation and the GLO Good Foundation, Lenny carried out a marathon dental service mission in the community of Gregory Town, Eleuthera, providing oral health care, education and tools to adults and children in need in order to provide the gift of a healthy smile.
“The Ministry of Tourism was delighted to assist in coordinating the logistics of this exercise which resulted in the Ministry simply handing over the vouchers to the Department of Social Services to carry out their critical work at this time.”
Deputy Director Sawyer said individuals and families benefited from the Kravitz donation “to be as fair and equitable as possible.” She too applauded Mr. Kravitz and his Foundation for their support, adding that the fall-out from the COVID-19 Pandemic has created new scenarios for both regular and new clients.
“It was a big help,” Ms. Sawyer said. “The three basic needs of mankind are: food, shelter and clothing, but food is the priority particularly when you have children or you have medical challenges and have to be placed a special diet. This donation, along with the assistance we were providing, allowed us to continue to address the immediate needs of those persons in need.”
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.
-
News1 week agoDDME Staff Strengthen Disaster Management Capacity Through Professional Development Workshop
-
Caribbean News1 week agoLiberty Caribbean Supports Regional Forum on AI, Cyber Resilience and Digital Inclusion
-
News1 week agoThe Turks and Caicos Islands Set Positive Start to 2026 with Increase in January Stayover Arrivals
-
News5 days agoMulti-Agency Planning Enforcement Action Conducted in Five Cays
-
News5 days agoNew Chartered Accountant Member Appointed to The Integrity Commission