News
Change Needs to Consider all stakeholders for energy transition – Chipungu admonishes at TCI Energy Forum
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, July 2, 2023 – In its bid to bring clean energy to the country, the Government must take care not to exclude stakeholders, both large and small or the process could end in failure. That was the underpinning message from Farayi Chipungu, Lecturer at Harvard Law School as she delivered her keynote speech on adaptive leadership at the TCI Energy Forum on June 2nd.
While emphasizing the importance of expert communication, she stressed that this transition needed input from all around because of its nature as an adaptive problem.
“Just starting with the nature of the problem, quite often people have either never seen the challenge before or some people can see the challenge and others can’t, so we can’t even agree about the fact that there is a problem in the first place,” she said using climate change as an example.
Despite the obvious effects of climate change, many large companies, and even countries continue to deny the depth of the issue, slowing down work towards a solution.
Chipungu said the implications of these types of complex problems was that the solutions also tended to be murky.
“The work when the challenge is adaptive is not just with experts, because when challenges are adaptive, you can’t take the challenge off people’s shoulders. The people with the problem tend to be a part of the challenge, but they also tend to be the solution.”
She stressed too that tangible change had to be seen in those affected by the problem, and to do this they had to be involved in the search for a fix.
“You can have all the expertise in the world, but if the people with the problem can’t get involved then the problem is not going to be fixed.”
Another example of an adoptive challenge she says, was COVID-19, where while experts knew what to do to save lives and shared the information, residents had a great burden of responsibility to keep themselves safe and to keep others safe with their own actions.
“A management consulting firm can fly on this island and give you a wonderful 50 page deck on what a clean energy transition could look like— a governor or a minister or a premier can give a directive to say these are the five steps that we need to follow or a CEO can say we need to collaborate more effectively— but of course, you don’t really have a solution until it’s lived in the hearts and minds of all the people up and down the value chain.”
She stressed that while change appears to be difficult, people make changes that they believe are good for them, tending to avoid loss. She encouraged though, that there is some level of loss in every change, and in order to get to the sweet benefits, residents and companies must decide what losses they are willing to absorb.
She had advice for the Government and large companies on how to mitigate this.
“[If] we move in a way that doesn’t acknowledge the loss and pain that people feel then they push back— but if you’re able to acknowledge and see that loss, you can think about how much you can cushion it to make it easier for people.” She continued, “in this change, there will be losses in terms of financial losses, money, jobs, power, there’s going to be all kinds of changes and losses, and in this conversation if we’re not able to talk to those things, then it’s very unlikely that we will be able to achieve any meaningful or sustainable change.”
Anchoring change around the people it affects the most, for example, the residence of the Turks and Caicos, allow those leading the change to not only see aspects of change like speed and the size of investment, much clearer, but to make that change much smoother for both large companies and the small man.
The Bahamas, August 27, 2026 – The Royal Bahamas Police Force wishes to inform members of the public that several individuals are scheduled to appear before the Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 27th August 2026, at 12:00 noon.
The individuals and charges are as follows:
An 18-year-old female is scheduled to be arraigned on the following charges:
Three (3) counts of Murder
Three (3) counts of Attempted Murder
Three (3) counts of Possession of a Firearm with Intent to Endanger Life
Three (3) counts of Possession of an Unlicensed Firearm
Two (2) counts of Possession of Ammunition
Armed Robbery
Abetment to Armed Robbery
Stealing
Receiving
The charges stem from three separate shooting incidents and an armed robbery that occurred on Friday, 21st August 2026, and Saturday, 22nd August 2026.
The first shooting occurred in the area of Soldier Road and Baillou Hill Road, resulting in the death of a 51-year-old male.
The second shooting occurred in the area of Joe Farrington Road, resulting in the death of a 52-year-old male.
The third shooting occurred in the area of Gladstone Road, resulting in the death of a 36-year-old male.
The armed robbery occurred at a business establishment in the area of Carmichael Road and Baillou Hill Road.
A 21-year-old male is scheduled to be arraigned on one charge of:
- Murder
The charge stems from a shooting incident that occurred on Tuesday, 21st July 2026, in the area of Samson Street, Nassau Village, which resulted in the death of a 28-year-old male.
A 32-year-old male is scheduled to be arraigned on the following charges:
- Murder
- Attempted Murder
These charges stem from a shooting incident that occurred on Wednesday, 24th December 2025, in the area of Graham Drive, Yellow Elder, which resulted in the death of a 25-year-old male.
RBPF, PACD
by Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
PROVIDENCIALES, TCI — In a country where government press conferences are virtually non-existent, ministers are often difficult for
journalists to access and regular broadcast television news has disappeared, TCI Innovation, Technology and Energy Minister E. Jay Saunders has challenged Caribbean media to become “impossible to ignore.”
Speaking at the Caribbean Broadcasting Union gathering, Saunders argued that the Caribbean does not have a relevance problem but a “discoverability and positioning problem.”
Discoverability is precisely the issue in Saunders’ home country. Even Government’s own attempts at video news broadcasting have struggled against the realities of consistently producing a daily, weekly or even monthly newscast.
The difficulties confronting TCI media extend well beyond algorithms: limited advertising revenue, underfunding, shortages of trained professionals and insufficient human capacity leave newsrooms struggling for both staff and stamina.
Then there is the reality of operating in one of the region’s smallest societies. Politicians, journalists, advertisers, businesses and the subjects of stories often exist within the same tight economic and social circles. A controversial report that might create a ripple elsewhere can produce a tsunami in TCI, intensifying concerns among journalists about commercial and professional victimisation.
Saunders believes AI can help.
He urged Caribbean media to use the technology to transform one original story into television, radio, web, podcast, social and translated content without multiplying newsroom workload.
He also wants regional journalism structured so AI systems can find, understand and trust Caribbean sources, moving media beyond traditional SEO into Answer Engine Optimisation.
His ultimate message was emphatic: “Use AI not to make Caribbean media more artificial — but to make Caribbean voices more visible.”
For Turks and Caicos media, however, becoming visible may require more than technology. It requires an environment in which journalism can survive.
That last sentence is where I think we land the plane. It acknowledges that EJ actually has some us
Bahamas News
Bahama Brass Band Invitation Sparks Heritage Debate Ahead of TCI Constitutional Holiday
Turks and Caicos, August 20, 2026 – The planned participation of the Bahama Brass Band in the Turks and Caicos Islands’ inaugural Constitutional Holiday celebrations on August 30 has sparked public debate over culture, heritage and the historical contributions of Turks and Caicos Islanders abroad.
Organizers defended the invitation, saying the band’s inclusion is intended to highlight the deep historical ties between the two countries
and honor Turks and Caicos men who helped establish and develop the institution in Grand Bahama.
According to the organizers, the Bahama Brass Band began in 1955 in Pine Ridge, Freeport, with Turks and Caicos Islanders, including the late Deacon Reuben Hall Sr. of Middle Caicos and Jenkins Williams and Mervin Hendfield of North Caicos, among those who helped build its foundation. The band eventually grew to more than 50 men.
The organizers also pointed to the participation of Turks and Caicos men in The Bahamas’ Independence celebrations on July 10, 1973, arguing that their contributions became part of Bahamian history while maintaining strong connections to their homeland.
Supporters say bringing the band home represents an opportunity to honor those pioneers, showcase their regional influence and expose younger generations to an important part of Turks and Caicos history.
However, concerns raised publicly described the invitation as potentially disrespectful to local culture and heritage. Organizers acknowledged those concerns, apologizing to anyone who felt overlooked or offended, while maintaining that no disrespect was intended.
The committee said the event should ultimately unite rather than divide, presenting the band’s history as evidence of the reach and resilience of Turks and Caicos heritage.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bahamas Brass Band
