News
TCI Cabinet confirms Airport CEO, Watching Haiti, Updates on Natl Security, agrees to merge NIB and NHIP and approves Islanders to various boards
#TurksandCaicos, November 14, 2022 – Godfrey Smith is now officially the CEO of the Turks and Caicos Airports Authority after a 10-month stint in the role as acting chief executive officer; it’s one of the decisions from a November 2nd Cabinet Meeting. Smith is confirmed for a 3-year contract at the TCIAA.
Duty exemptions are extended to Provo Water Company for the importation of a water storage tank and pumping equipment and to Como Parrot Cay for the machinery to be used for recycling waste products.
Cabinet has also approved a wage system for prisoners carrying out voluntary work under a new program to be called “The Progressive Regime and Earned Privileges Scheme.”
And the moratorium on the issuance of business licenses for construction companies in the contractor’s category with non-Turks & Caicos Islander involvement wil continue for six (6) more months but at least one unnamed company has been granted an exemption from this.
Here are more highlights as reported by the TCI Cabinet:
At this meeting Cabinet:
Approved the merger of the NIB and the NHIP Collections and Compliance Functions.
Was briefed on a Turks and Caicos Islands Government led initiative with the US Government’s Department of Homeland Security to combat the issue of irregular migration into the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Was updated on the progress of establishing a Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, and endorsed a number of structures, leadership frameworks, and other measures bringing together the work of the Customs and Immigration departments under a unified Border Force.
Was briefed on the 1st Quarter Financial Report 2022-23 of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government and approved for the same to be made public.
Approved for the drafting of a Bill to allow for the payment of housing allowances to former ministers for the period 1 September 2019 to 31 December 2020, subject to a reconciliation of subsistence and accommodation payments during the said period for the impacted persons.
Approved an amendment to Turks and Caicos Islands Citizen Homeowner Policy.
Approved a business license in a restricted business activity for Phoenix Fisheries & Seafood.
Approved for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government to enter into negotiations with Ani T&C Ltd. for a Development Agreement for the development of a private resort on North Caicos.
Approved for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government to enter into a lease agreement for an office accommodation on Providenciales.
Approved a wage system for prisoners carrying out voluntary work under a new program to be called “The Progressive Regime and Earned Privileges Scheme”.
Approved the appointments of Doreen Quelch-Missick, Latisha Williams, Alleveia Butterfield, Kerchelle Bain, Dr Alicia Malcolm, Dr Anya Malcolm-Gibbs, Alces Dor and Selvon Bruce-Whatley to the Adoption Review Panel.
Members to serve for a period of one (1) year with effect from 7 November 2022.
Was briefed on the work being performed on energy, energy efficiency, and emission reduction policies, which will shape future legislative and regulatory frameworks.
Approved an exemption on import duties for Provo Water Company for the importation of a water storage tank and pumping equipment.
Approved an exemption on import duties for Como Parrot Cay for the importation of machinery to be used for recycling waste products.
Approved the appointment of Godfrey Smith as CEO of the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority for three (3) years.
Approved a lease agreement for the temporary relocation of Customs and Immigrations Departments on North Caicos following damages to their offices by Hurricane Fiona in September 2022.
Approved the appointment of Zaneta Burton (Government Representative), Floyd Seymour (Employer Representative), and Danita Clare (Insured Person Representative) to the National Insurance Board for a period of three (3) years with effect from 7 November 2022.
Approved the appointment of Doreen Quelch-Missick (2 years) and Wendall Swann (1 year) to the Labour Tribunal with effect from 1 January 2023.
Approved a six (6) month extension to the moratorium on the issuance of business licenses for construction companies in the contractor’s category with non-Turks & Caicos Islander involvement. The extension will take effect from the 21st of October 2022.
Approved, for a named company, a waiver with certain conditions, to the moratorium on the issuance of business licenses for construction companies in the contractor’s category with non-Turks and Caicos Islander involvement.
Approved a Christmas Salary Advance of one month’s basic salary (excluding allowances) to all Public Officers and pensioners, and terms for re-payment.
Discussed the deteriorating situation in Haiti. The Governor is in close contact with the US and UK Governments on scenario planning and mitigation.
February is National Self- Check Month and family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic, OH, John Hanicak, MD, highlights why at home self-checks are extremely important when it comes to not just early cancer detection but identifying other illnesses too and offers tips on what to look out for.
“Sometimes I look at them as sort of like your check engine light on the car, just like there would be a red flashing light that tells you that
there’s something wrong with a car and prompts you to bring that in and get serviced. Your body does the same thing. It gives you warning signs to look into that symptom a little bit further,” said Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak said self-checks are going to be a little different for everyone.
However, in general, he recommends looking for anything that may seem abnormal, such as unexplained weight loss, blood in your urine, bumps and bruises that won’t heal, and changes in bowel habits.
For example, if you suddenly start going to the bathroom a lot more than you used to, that could be a sign of something more serious.
He also suggests doing regular skin checks and documenting any moles or spots that start to look different.
“Realize that you are your own person. There’s nobody else in the world exactly like you. You’ve got your own set of ideas, your own family history and your own genetics. Know what is normal for you, and when that changes, that’s the kind of thing that we would be interested in talking about,” said Dr. Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak notes that self-checks are not meant to replace cancer screenings, as those are just as important to keep up with.
Press Release: Cleveland Clinic
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.
