By Deandrea Hamilton

Cheaper shipping. Lower energy costs. Better access to healthcare. Stronger consumer protections.

Those are among the measures CARICOM Heads of Government believe could finally begin reducing the stubbornly high cost of living for millions of people across the Caribbean.

Meeting in Saint Lucia, regional leaders agreed that making life more affordable must become one of the Community’s highest priorities. Their emerging strategy includes reducing freight costs through a regional ferry service, accelerating renewable energy projects to lessen dependence on imported fuel, expanding regional healthcare partnerships, strengthening consumer protection, and encouraging governments to adopt successful cost-of-living measures already being implemented across the Caribbean.

“Our discussions over the past four days were guided by one central objective – ensuring that CARICOM delivers results that people can see and feel in their everyday lives,” CARICOM Chairman and Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre said.

Few places may welcome that relief more than The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Although inflation has moderated in both countries from the sharp increases experienced following the pandemic, the cost of living remains stubbornly high. Families continue to complain about grocery bills that stretch household budgets, rising housing costs, expensive electricity, healthcare expenses and fuel prices that remain among the highest in the region.

Governments have responded.

In The Bahamas, successive reductions in Value Added Tax on selected goods and other targeted tax measures have sought to ease pressure on consumers. In the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Government this weekend opens applications for its $500 Cost of Living Relief Programme, acknowledging that many households continue to struggle despite the country’s economic success.

Yet affordability remains elusive.

The contradiction is difficult to ignore.

The Turks and Caicos Islands continues to post one of the region’s strongest tourism-driven economies, with robust investment, record visitor spending and sustained construction activity. The Bahamas has also strengthened its economic position, earning improved sovereign credit ratings as tourism, government revenues and fiscal performance continue to recover.

Yet those encouraging economic indicators have not translated into noticeably lower household expenses.

The reason is largely structural.

Both The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands produce relatively little of what they consume. Food, fuel, medicines, vehicles, building materials and countless household essentials are imported. Both countries also record significant trade deficits, illustrating their dependence on overseas suppliers. Every increase in global shipping costs, fuel prices or supply chain disruptions is eventually reflected in supermarket prices, utility bills and the cost of everyday living.

That is why CARICOM’s agenda matters.

If regional leaders succeed in lowering freight costs through an inter-island ferry network, expanding renewable energy, improving regional cargo movement, strengthening consumer protections and making healthcare more accessible through cooperation, the benefits could extend far beyond government balance sheets.

For Bahamians and Turks and Caicos Islanders, success will not be measured by another tourism record or another credit rating upgrade. It will be measured at the supermarket checkout, on the monthly electricity bill, at the gas pump and in the simple ability to afford a better quality of life.

By Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

NASSAU, Bahamas (July 14, 2026) — The Bahamas Government says it needs the 300 teachers being sourced from Ghana to help close a critical staffing gap, even as criticism mounts over unresolved employment matters reportedly affecting approximately 2,000 Bahamas Union of Teachers members and as Ghana itself struggles with a massive shortage in the profession.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Science and Technology Chester Cooper said the shortage has been worsened by retirements, expiring contracts and the expansion of specialized subjects, including special education, technology, financial literacy, digital literacy and entrepreneurship.

Cooper said the Government has established a multi-agency task force and is attempting to attract recently retired teachers, new graduates and educators who previously left the profession.

“In keeping with government policy, Bahamians will be given first priority to fill all vacancies,” Cooper said.

However, the optics surrounding the decision are sketchy at best, with the BUT pressing the Government to settle long-standing matters affecting its members while Ghana grapples with a teacher shortage estimated at no fewer than 50,000 educators.

Ghana’s Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, recently disclosed that the country needs between 50,000 and 90,000 additional teachers to adequately staff its schools.

UNICEF’s 2026 Teachers for All: Ghana report confirms that Ghana is not only experiencing an overall teacher shortage but also serious inequalities in how available teachers are distributed. It found that rural and underserved schools are particularly affected, while Ghana’s primary teacher workforce fell by more than 25 percent—from 131,094 in 2019–2020 to 93,818 in 2022–2023—as student enrolment increased.

The report stated:

“Not only is there a teacher shortage in Ghana, but inefficiencies also exist in the current distribution of available teachers.”

That finding raises questions about why a country with such a significant domestic deficit is prepared to facilitate the overseas recruitment of hundreds of educators.

Meanwhile, BUT President Belinda Wilson has argued that the Bahamian Government has substantial unfinished business with the teachers already serving in the public system.

According to Wilson, approximately 2,000 educators are awaiting the conclusion of salary negotiations, while hundreds reportedly have unresolved matters involving confirmations, salary reassessments, promotions, rental allowances, examination marking fees, disturbance allowances, hardship payments and coaching allowances.

The union has also complained that it was not properly consulted before the proposed recruitment became public and has demanded details about the qualifications, subjects, deployment locations and employment conditions being considered for the Ghanaian teachers.

The debate is also unfolding as the University of The Bahamas has produced approximately 219 education graduates over the past three years—76 in 2024, more than 60 in 2025 and 73 in 2026.

Cooper maintains that overseas recruitment is intended only to fill positions that cannot immediately be occupied by qualified Bahamians.

“For decades, we have benefitted from strategic international recruitment of educators from partner nations,” he said. “We emphasize that such recruitment is intended only to address vacancies that cannot be immediately filled by qualified Bahamians.”

Still, the questions remain: why are outstanding matters affecting thousands of Bahamian teachers unresolved, and why is The Bahamas sourcing educators from a country that acknowledges it is tens of thousands of teachers short itself?

By Lindsay Thompson

Bahamas Information Services

NASSAU, The Bahamas – Prime Minister the Hon. Philip Davis participated in ceremonies commissioning Completed Rooftop Solar Installations at the University of The Bahamas, a move towards energy sustainability.

Prime Minister Philip Davis

“Today, we turn a new page on how we power our lives, how we protect our environment, and how we define Bahamian leadership in the 21st century.

Energy is foundational to national development,” the prime minister said.

The ceremony commissioning installation completion, under the Reconstruction with Resilience in the Energy Sector in The Bahamas (RRESB) programme, was held on Friday, July 3, 2026 at Courtyard Choices, University of The Bahamas.

“With this commissioning, the University of The Bahamas takes its place at the vanguard of our energy transition. You are setting an example and proving your commitment to stewardship – leaving our islands better than we found them,” the prime minister said.

He said it was good to mark the commissioning: “The country has turned a new page on how we power our lives, how we protect our environment, and how we define Bahamian leadership in the 21st century,” he said.

The prime minister regarded energy as fundamental to national development, and added, “It determines how effectively we educate our children, how reliably we deliver healthcare, and how competitive our businesses can be.”  So, today is about solar panels, yes.  But it is also about how we power this country and what that means for the future we are building together. This is why programmes like RRESB matter.”

He said that it reflects his administration’s commitment to strengthening the systems that underscore daily life in the country, while building a country that is more sustainable and more energy-secure.

“We live on the frontlines of a changing climate.

“We have felt the fury of the winds and the rising of the tides. We know, better than most, that the old ways of generating power – reliant on volatile oil and fragile, centralized grids are no longer enough to guarantee our safety.

“This is why this administration will continue to strengthen our critical infrastructure and improve the resilience of our energy sector.

“As Prime Minister, I see these investments as investments in our future. They will serve our country for many years to come – while reflecting a broader shift in how we think about development.

Minister of Energy, Utilities and Aviation JoBeth Coleby-Davis

The Prime Minister said: “Sustainability is no longer separate from growth – it is essential to it.”

He extended sincere appreciation to Mr. Ruiz, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, Belize, The Bahamas, The Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands, and to Mr. Fache, Program Manager with the European Union Delegation, for their partnership.

And, he commended partners at the Inter-American Development Bank, the University of the Bahamas, the Project Execution Unit, AnO Technologies, the Hon. Jobeth Coleby-Davis and the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation for their dedication and expertise in implementing this program.

“Today’s achievement reflects what can be accomplished when we work together in pursuit of a stronger Bahamas.

“This is the work of nation-building. It is not accomplished in a single day or in a single project. It is steady work – consistent and purposeful.”

(BIS Photos/Kristaan Ingraham)