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PM Davis: The digital revolution lays bare the deep disparities between what is possible and what is currently real for too many of the region’s citizens

Published

10 months ago

July 16, 2025

By Eric Rose
Bahamas Information Services

NASSAU, The Bahamas – During his Official Address at the Opening Ceremony of the 40th Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organisations (CANTO) Conference and Trade Exhibition, on July 13, 2025, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis noted that, while the digital revolution promised so much, it also laid bare “the deep disparities between what is possible and what is currently real for too many of our citizens”.

“Across the Caribbean, there are still children who cannot access reliable internet to complete a school assignment,” Prime Minister Davis said at the event held at Baha Mar Convention Centre. “There are small businesses shut out of global markets because the infrastructure simply doesn’t exist. There are civil servants expected to deliver 21st-century services with 20th-century tools.”

“And if we are being honest with ourselves – if we are truly committed to the people we serve – we must admit that while the world is building faster, smarter, and more connected systems, we are still moving too slowly, too unevenly, too cautiously,” he added.

Among those present included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Hon. Chester Cooper and other Cabinet Ministers; Prime Minister of Grenada the Hon. Dickon Mitchell and other regional senior Government officials; Secretary General of ITU Mrs. Doreen Bogdan-Martin; Commissioner of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Brendan Carr; CANTO Chairman Dr. Delreo Newman; CANTO Secretary General Teresa Wankin; Chief Executive Officer Liberty Caribbean Inge Smidts and other representatives of event sponsors; US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Kimberly Furnish and other members of the Diplomatic Corps; CANTO Board Member and Bahamian John Gomez; and various local and international stakeholders.

According to the organization, CANTO is a non-profit association made up of operators, organizations, companies and individuals in the ICT (telecommunications) sector. The Association has a Caribbean focus as it relates to ICT issues for the region with a global perspective.

Prime Minister Davis pointed out to those in attendance that they were living through one of the most “profound shifts in human history”.

He said: “Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, blockchain – these are not distant possibilities. They are shaping global markets now, influencing public life now, redefining power now. And yet, at the same time, many of our nations are still grappling with the basics: ensuring rural communities have access to broadband, that schools have devices, and that citizens can interact with their governments without having to take a day off work.

Prime Minister Davis added: “This is not just a matter of development – it is a matter of, in my view, justice. Because when access to digita systems determines access to opportunity, exclusion is no longer just economic. It becomes structural. It becomes generational. It becomes a quiet, creeping injustice – robbing people of the right to fully participate in modern life.”

He pointed out that it was not a story of defeat. “There is another side to this story, a story of what is possible when political will meets practical action,” Prime Minister Davis stated.

He noted that The Bahamas had proven that leadership in the digital space did not depend on size, but on vision and courage.

Prime Minister Davis said: “We became the first nation in the world to launch a central bank digital currency, the Sand Dollar, not as a symbolic gesture, but as a practical solution to a real problem: how do we ensure that people across a scattered archipelago of 700 islands can access safe, efficient, and modern financial services?

“We followed that bold move with the passage of the DARE Act – one of the world’s earliest and clearest attempts to regulate the digital asset space responsibly,” he added. “In doing so, we rejected the view that small states must wait on global consensus before acting.

“We proved that we can lead on our own terms, for our own people. This is what effective digital policy looks like: action rooted in equity, grounded in law, and aimed at building real opportunity.”

However, he said, isolated success was not enough.

“Because if some countries lead while others lag, we do not become a region of progress – we become a region divided,” Prime Minister Davis said. “And in a world as interconnected as ours, no nation can afford to advance alone.”

He added: “We are therefore called, not just to lead individually, but to act collectively; to build systems that are interoperable, secure, and inclusive; to invest not only in platforms, but in people — in the teachers who will train the coders, in the regulators who will govern the platforms, and in the young people whose ideas will power the next wave of innovation.”

He pointed out that all must also be clear-eyed about the dangers.

“We must also be clear: this is not simply about platforms or data storage – it is about security, sovereignty, and stability,” Prime Minister Davis stated.

He added: “Cybercrime is not a future threat. It is a present one. Misinformation, data exploitation, and digital surveillance are eroding trust and weakening democratic institutions. Our electoral systems are vulnerable. Our public databases are exposed. Our citizens are being targeted – not with bombs or bullets – but with falsehoods, with manipulation, with breaches of privacy that go unseen but cut deep. This is the nature of modern conflict – quiet, digital, and relentless.

“And if we do not build the legal, institutional, and technical frameworks to confront these threats now, then we will lose control of the very systems we depend on to function as sovereign nations.”

Digital colonization was not just about who owned the infrastructure, Prime Minister Davis pointed out.

“It is about who decides what is true, who has access to power, who profits from our participation, and who shapes the rules of this century’s economy,” he said.

“And if we do not secure our digital future, someone else will define it for us,” Prime Minister Davis added. “So the question before us is not whether the world is changing. It is whether we are willing to change with it – and whether we are prepared to do so with the urgency, seriousness, and moral clarity this moment demands.”

He continued: “We must act not simply because the technology exists, but because justice requires it; because no child should be left behind due to a lack of signal; no business should be locked out of opportunity because of where it is located; and no country, no matter how small, should be told that it cannot shape its own digital destiny.

“This is the time for resolve; for responsibility; and, above all, for leadership rooted in service to the people we are elected to serve.”

Prime Minister Davis pointed out that countries can choose to be a region that is ahead, or “we can continue, year after year, to fall behind”.

“There is no middle ground,” he stated. “The pace of global change is too fast. The stakes are too high. The costs of inaction are no longer theoretical. They are visible, measurable, and already being borne by the most vulnerable in our societies.”

“To be ahead means investing – seriously – in our digital infrastructure, in training teachers not just to teach literacy and numeracy, but to prepare students for the economies of tomorrow,” Prime Minister Davis noted. “To be ahead means ensuring our young people have access not just to devices, but to the education, mentorship, and capital needed to become creators – not just consumers – in the digital world.

“To be ahead means building regional resilience – not as a talking point, but as a common framework for cybersecurity, data protection, and cloud infrastructure that secures our sovereignty in a world where power is shifting from the physical to the digital.”

He stated that to be ahead also meant having the courage to confront the uncomfortable.

Prime Minister Davis asked: “Why are some of our best minds still forced to leave the region to find opportunity? Why are Caribbean innovators still struggling to access funding when the world is awash in capital for digital transformation? Why do we spend more time adopting external platforms than building our own?”

He told those in attendance that if they all wanted to lead, they all cannot simply copy models from abroad.

Prime Minister Davis said: “We must build systems that reflect our values, our realities, and our aspirations. We must stop asking: ‘Is the Caribbean ready?’ and instead ask: ‘What is required of us to lead?’.”

He stated that readiness was not a matter of capacity – it was a matter of will.

“There are small nations around the world, with fewer resources than ours, that have chosen to be laboratories for innovation, because they understood that leadership is not about size, it’s about seriousness,” Prime Minister Davis noted.

“We can be among them,” he added. “We must be among them.”

Prime Minister Davis said that the alternative of “drifting further into digital dependence, watching our economic margins erode, our young talent disengage, our public services falter was not just unacceptable, it was avoidable.”

“But only if we act now, and act together,” he stated. “Let this not be another moment where we admire the challenge but shrink from the responsibility.”

“Let this be the moment we say: the Caribbean will lead – not by default, but by design; not because we had more, but because we chose to do more with what we had,” he added.

PHOTO CAPTION

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis speaks, during his Official Address at the Opening Ceremony of the 40th Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organisations (CANTO) Conference and Trade Exhibition, on July 13, 2025, at Baha Mar Convention Centre. Among those present included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Hon. I. Chester Cooper and other Cabinet Ministers; Prime Minister of Grenada the Hon. Dickon Mitchell and other regional senior Government officials; Secretary General of ITU Mrs. Doreen Bogdan-Martin; Commissioner of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Brendan Carr; CANTO Chairman Dr. Delreo Newman; CANTO Secretary General Teresa Wankin; Chief Executive Officer Liberty Caribbean Inge Smidts and other representatives of event sponsors; US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Kimberly Furnish and other members of the Diplomatic Corps; CANTO Board Member and Bahamian John Gomez; and various local and international stakeholders. (BIS Photos/Eric Rose)

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Sandals Resorts International and Ministry of Tourism Leveraging Radio Remotes to Boost Visitor Arrivals

Published

1 week ago

May 12, 2026

Deandrea Hamilton

MONTEGO BAY, May 11 (JIS): A week of live radio remotes from Sandals Ochi Beach Resort in St. Ann has showcased Jamaica’s resilient rebound from Hurricane Melissa, with Canadian and British hosts praising the island’s hospitality sector as not just reopened for business but “top tier and second to none”.

A joint venture between Sandals Resorts International and the Ministry of Tourism connected 11 international radio stations and one local outlet, including ‘The Bim Show’ on Fyah 105, to deliver on‑the‑ground impressions to an audience of nearly three million listeners.

During a seven‑day stay at Sandals Ochi, the hosts conducted live broadcasts back to their home bases, toured the Ocho Rios area, and interviewed Sandals staff as well as students from the Exchange All-Age School in St. Ann.

The initiative also provided first‑hand observations of Jamaica’s ongoing tourism recovery and the enduring warmth of the island’s people.

“First-class stuff… Jamaica is such an amazingly beautiful place. If you didn’t know, there is no way you could tell that six months ago, the island experienced a category-five hurricane, which caused so much damage. [It is] such an amazing place; amazing and beautiful people,” Brian West, a radio host from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada said.

Broadcaster from London, England, Jada Sachira, shared similar sentiments.

“It was such a wonderful experience; I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The people have been so friendly and hard-working… everyone doing their part to ensure that visitors are well taken care of and to enjoy the Jamaican tourism product. Just breathtakingly beautiful. I want to come back for a longer stay,” she stated.

Another Canadia radio host, Patty Brown, underscored Jamaica’s iconic worker‑driven hospitality.

“You just have to come and see… that’s what I told my listeners. The Jamaican experience is simply magical… my first time here but definitely won’t be my last,” she stated.

Regional Public Relations Manager for Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, Lyndsay Isaacs, noted that the radio remotes have historically been highly successful, offering a tangible window into Jamaica’s tourism product for listeners.

“It’s a case of reporting back to their listeners what they have experienced first-hand. Sandals, along with the Ministry of Tourism, have been doing this kind of radio remotes for years and we find it very successful. It’s different and more emotional this time, seeing that we have been in a recovery state following Hurricane Melissa, which badly affected the sector. But look at us now – fully open for business,” Ms. Isaacs stated.

Mayor of St. Ann’s Bay, Councillor Michael Belnavis, praised the event for highlighting community hospitality and economic resilience.

“This radio remote has highlighted Jamaica’s unity and endurance in rebuilding the tourism sector. The people of St. Ann, and Jamaica as a whole, have demonstrated that hospitality is in our DNA,’ Mr. Belnavis stated.

Poko Loko Floating Bar’s owner Anthony Warren, offered another insider’s view, noting that positive results should come from the on-the-ground visits and live broadcasts from the radio hosts.

Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said the initiative is a strong signal of Jamaica’s competitive rebound in Caribbean travel.

“The radio remote’s reach is a testament to Jamaica’s continued relevance as a premier tourism destination. We have not only recovered but we have also elevated the Jamaican experience to a level that is unmatched in the region,” Mr. Bartlett said.

The collaborative event, which mobilised 11 international radio stations and one local outlet, demonstrates Jamaica’s aggressive post‑Melissa recovery strategy and reinforces the island’s reputation for warm hospitality and world‑class attractions.

Radio remotes have been popularly used as a vehicle by both the Ministry of Tourism and Sandals Resorts International as a means of reaching out directly to radio audiences in Jamaica’s biggest source markets: the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

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ISU Future Creators Challenge Celebrates Youth Creativity and Intellect

Published

2 months ago

March 26, 2026

Deandrea Hamilton

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – March 26, 2026 – The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) successfully hosted its Future Creators Challenge Prize Distribution Ceremony on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at its office in Providenciales, recognising outstanding student creativity and participation from across the Turks and Caicos Islands with winners hailing from Providenciales and North Caicos.

The Future Creators Challenge formed a central component of the ISU’s Youth Outreach Programme, an initiative designed to engage young people in understanding the challenges associated with informal settlements while encouraging critical thinking, creativity, and solution-oriented perspectives on national development. Through a combination of educational content, school engagement, and creative competitions, the programme provided students with an opportunity to explore issues of community development in accessible and meaningful ways.

Students competed across three categories: 2D Art, Essay Writing, and Jingle Creation, producing submissions that demonstrated both creativity and thoughtful engagement with the themes of the programme.

The following students were recognised for their outstanding performances:

2D Art Challenge
1st Place – Emily Joree – MILLS Institute
2nd Place – T’Sean Anthony – Thelma Lightbourne Primary School
3rd Place – Jagan Russell – MILLS Institute
4th Place – Eve Harvey – MILLS Institute

Essay Challenge
1st Place – Jordan Pierre – Louis Garland Thomas High School
2nd Place – Kavya Mirwani – British West Indies Collegiate
3rd Place – Mirsendy Obei – Raymond Gardiner High School

Jingle Challenge
1st Place – Naivan Smith – Raymond Gardiner High School

In addition to individual awards, MILLS Institute was presented with a special prize in recognition of submitting the highest number of entries to the ISU Future Creators Challenge, reflecting exceptional student participation and institutional support.

In remarks delivered during the session, ISU Strategic Lead Justice Carlos Simons KC underscored the importance of youth participation in shaping the future of the Turks and Caicos Islands, noting that “the future of the Turks and Caicos Islands depends on young people like you who are willing to engage, to imagine solutions, and to play a role in the development of your communities.” He further encouraged students to continue playing an active role in national development, expressing that he hoped “this is only the beginning of your journey as agents of change here in the TCI.”

The ISU extends its sincere appreciation to all participating schools, students, and teachers as well as the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, whose support contributed to the success of this inaugural Youth Outreach Programme initiative.

The Unit remains committed to expanding its engagement with young people across the Turks and Caicos Islands through innovative, inclusive engagement efforts that support awareness, education, and long-term national development.

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WHERE ARE THE LOCAL ARTISTS?

Published

2 months ago

March 18, 2026

Deandrea Hamilton

Turks and Caicos, March 18, 2026 – Across the Turks and Caicos Islands, the skyline is changing. New resorts rise along the Northern coastline of Providenciales, promising luxury, exclusivity, and world-class experiences designed for the global traveler. These developments are often celebrated as progress, as evidence of economic growth and international relevance.

But beneath that narrative lies a quieter question: who is this development truly for, if it does not meaningfully include the culture of the place it occupies?

More specifically, where are the local artists?

Modern tourism is no longer defined by architecture alone. Today’s traveler is not simply purchasing a room. They are seeking experience, identity, and connection to a place. In response, hospitality brands increasingly market authenticity as a defining feature of luxury.

Encouragingly, there are emerging examples within the Turks and Caicos Islands where this principle is present. Recent developments such as Beaches Resort’s new village extension, Treasure Beach and The Strand TCI have made intentional efforts to incorporate local visual artists into their properties, signalling an understanding that art is not an accessory, but an essential component of place-making.

These efforts demonstrate what is possible. Yet, across many developments, this level of integration remains inconsistent or non-existent. In comparison, the yet to open properties like the Andaz feature videos claiming to be rooted in culture while promoting Nigerian-Canadian and Trinidadian artists; whose work will adorn its walls and shape the narrative of “local culture” to its visitors. There are whispers of developments transporting artists all expenses paid to create and outfit their properties with art.

Instead of commissioning local artists, properties also rely on imported, mass-produced décor or artwork sourced from overseas. The result is a visual identity that could belong anywhere. A resort may sit on TCI Soil, but its interiors frequently tell no story of the islands themselves. This is more than an aesthetic oversight. It is a missed cultural and economic opportunity.

Local artists are not merely decorative contributors. They are interpreters of place, translating the land, its flora, and its lived experience into visual form. In a destination like the Turks and Caicos Islands, where identity is deeply tied to landscape and memory, art plays a critical role in shaping how a place is understood and remembered.

To exclude local artists from major developments is, in effect, to remove one of the most direct expressions of national identity from the visitor experience.

There is also a clear economic cost.

When developments bypass local creatives, funds that could circulate within the domestic economy instead flow outward. This is a form of economic leakage that is rarely discussed but widely felt. Commissioning local artists, licensing their work, and integrating it into design and branding are not acts of charity. They’re investments in a local creative economy with the potential to grow alongside tourism itself.

There remains an outdated assumption that meeting international standards requires looking outward rather than inward. But globally, the opposite is increasingly true. The most competitive destinations are those that embed local culture into their offerings in meaningful ways. Authenticity is no longer optional; it is expected.

The Turks and Caicos Islands should not aspire to look like everywhere else. Its value lies in being unmistakably itself. The positive steps taken by developments such as Beaches’ Treasure Beach and The Strand TCI should not be viewed as exceptions, but as a model. They show that integrating local artists is both achievable and beneficial, enhancing the guest experience while supporting the domestic economy.

This raises an important question for policymakers and developers alike: what would it look like to make this approach standard practice? Practical solutions already exist. Development frameworks/agreements can encourage or require a percentage of project budgets to be allocated to local art. Our newly launched national artist registry by the Department of Culture could streamline procurement and ensure professional standards. Partnerships between developers and cultural institutions could allow artists to be involved from the earliest design stages, rather than as an afterthought.

Hotels themselves can play a role by hosting exhibitions, supporting artist residencies, and incorporating locally produced work into their guest experience. Beyond one-time purchases, licensing agreements can allow artists to benefit from the continued use of their work across branding and digital platforms. None of this is radical. It is standard practice in destinations that understand the long-term value of cultural identity.

At its core, this issue is about more than art. It is about how a country chooses to represent itself, and who is included in that representation. The Turks and Caicos Islands is not simply a collection of beaches and luxery buildings. It is a living culture, shaped by its people, its history, and its environment. Its artists are part of that fabric, producing work that reflects and preserve what makes these islands distinct.

To build a tourism industry that does not meaningfully include them is to create a version of the country that is incomplete.

As development continues, the question is not whether the islands will grow. Growth is already underway. The question is whether that growth will be rooted in the identity of the place, or whether it will continue to operate around it.

In a global market where authenticity carries increasing value, the answer should be clear.

I leave you to ponder:

Turks and Caicos, where are YOUR artists?

About HezronH:

“We are all blended with a swath of experiences; walking, breathing, and thinking creatures full of insight and emotions expelled through every single pore. Our aura illuminates spaces of darkness and drives ideas through vision, endowing minds with fragments of personality shimmering through a kaleidoscope of colour.”

Turks and Caicos Islands’ artist Hezron Henry’s work is an exploration of this concept, via his practice. His body of work consists of oil stick, oil pastel and acrylic on paper, canvas, and digital painting, adapting both traditional and modern painting mediums to his signature style. His art is laden with vibrant colours and a link is established highlighting the emotive power of colour. Drawing inspiration from his youth, collecting comics, and his everyday interactions as an adult, he bridges youthful vibrancy and rule-breaking with the depth of an individual’s search for belonging in a region, still underrepresented, and overlooked.

Hezron infuses his portraits with introspection and longing while vivid colours harken to a palette present in Fauvism.

His passion is honest artistic expression, creating an experience people can enjoy and connect with on an ethereal level.

As one of Turks and Caicos’ most prolific artists he has exhibited in cities across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Trinidad & Tobago at CARIFESTA, Portland (USA), and at Art Takes 2021 (NYC). Hezron has also had the pleasure of being featured in several publications: Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Wacom’s “The Next Level,” Turks and Caicos Magazine, and selected as “Curators’ Picks: Emerging” on international art platform Artsy.

Select Achievements/Exhibitions/Publications/Projects

2024 – Indelible Imprints, Group Show, SaveArtSpace x Gallery 90220, Los Angeles