Bahamas News

PM Minnis ‘excited’ by discussions during Austin (Texas) trip

Published

6 years ago

January 25, 2018

#UnitedStates, January 25, 2018 – Austin, TX – Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis Tuesday described his stopover visit to Austin, Texas, as being “very productive” after meeting with State, technology and business officials from a number of major U.S. companies operating there. The Austin visit is part of the Minnis Administration’s plan to establish Grand Bahama as the technology hub of the region, and follows on the heels of Grand Bahama hosting its first major Technology Summit in Freeport, in November 2017.

Austin is considered the “Silicon Hills” of Texas because of the cluster of high-tech companies in the Austin metropolitan area including Dell, Hewlett Packard, Google, Samsung and Cisco Systems, among others. Its name “Silicon Hills” refers to the hilly terrain on the west side of Austin. The area employs more than 2,000 persons from major corporations like Apple and Microsoft. The city also has a booming bio-tech industry with more than 8,000 employees.

Prime Minister Minnis, who departed New Providence on Sunday (January 21) for Austin – the first stop on a visit to the State of Texas which includes a stopover in Houston – also met with Governor Greg Abbott “in order to establish a relationship between the Governor of Texas and the Prime Minister with the expressed purpose of identifying foreign investment and business opportunities that would benefit The Bahamas.”

Prime Minister Minnis and his delegation also met with officials from the Austin Technology Council (ATC). Since 1992, the Austin Technology Council has been the “informed opinion leader and unifying voice” of technology in Austin and Central Texas and is the region’s largest tech industry organization.

“We had a very productive day in Austin where we met with the Austin Technology Council,” Prime Minister Minnis said. “I made a presentation on doing business in The Bahamas and creating a technology hub, especially in Grand Bahama. I further spoke about the great benefits of Grand Bahama and all of the infrastructure already present. I spoke of the Port, of our stable government, and after completing that we had a very productive lunch meeting with Governor Greg Abbott and quite a number of business leaders.

“We are now in a digital revolution and it is essential that The Bahamas gets on board and moves with that revolution. We must not get left behind. We can be the technology hub in the region and be the leading technology centre for the Caribbean,” the Prime Minister added.

Prime Minister Minnis said that meeting involved discussions surrounding business opportunities for Bahamians and businesses opportunities between the State of Texas and The Bahamas.

“We also spoke about the educational opportunities for our students as you know we have a large student population here. We will continue those meetings.”

The Prime Minister and his delegation, which includes Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Darren Henfield; Minister of State for Grand Bahama in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator the Hon. James Kwasi Thompson; His Excellency Sidney Collie, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States of America; His Excellency Joshua Sears, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Prime Minister; His Excellency Cornelius A. (C.A.) Smith, Non-Resident Ambassador-designate for Central American States and Mrs. Linda Mackey, Bahamas Consul-General, Miami, also toured the Dell Headquarters where presentations were made.

“I met with and spoke with their Chief Commercial Officer on possibilities of future ventures, and that will be followed up especially by State Minister Thompson with respect to creating such a hub in Grand Bahama,” Prime Minister Minnis added.

The Prime Minister and his delegation traveled to Houston to meet with Television Evangelist Joel Osteen and members of the Bahamian Diaspora, including the Bahamian student population in Texas.

By: Matt Maura (BIS)

Bahamas News

Bahamas economic growth

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

The Bahamas’ economy is in good standing according to reports from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute which released the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Series. They indicate that quarterly GDP trends for 2023 saw increases compared to 2022, a sign of recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic.

The most significant increase was 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023, and the industries responsible for the growth include Accommodations and food, construction and Arts.

Bahamas News

RBC appoints new Country Manager and Area Vice President for Turks & Caicos

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Shanieka

RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Limited (“RBC”) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kerryl-Lyn King-Henry as Country Manager and Area Vice President (“AVP”), Personal and Commercial Banking, Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).

In her new role as Country Manager and AVP, King-Henry will take on full responsibility for the bank’s operations, strategy, and development in the TCI market, with a strong focus on solidifying partnerships with the Government, regulatory bodies, and the local community.

King-Henry brings to the role a dynamism influenced by nearly 25 years of industry experience. Prior to her new appointment, she served as AVP of Business Banking in Trinidad and Tobago. She has held progressively senior roles within both personal and commercial banking, as well as various functional units.

King-Henry holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in Leadership, FinTech and Big Data Analysis, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Further enriching her professional profile, Kerryl-Lyn is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher, and Speaker. Her passion for leadership and development is matched by her commitment to community service, as she actively volunteers her time and leverages her professional expertise to mentor and support others. “

Kerryl-Lyn’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities make her the perfect choice to lead our operations in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Ericka Rolle, RBC’s Managing Director and Vice President, Personal Banking, The Bahamas and TCI.

“Her commitment to excellence, combined with a genuine passion for community engagement, aligns perfectly with our Bank’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly bring to her new role,” she added.

Bahamas News

Get your laugh on, March On show coming to Turks and Caicos with box office at IGA Friday and Saturday

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Shanieka

Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

After resounding success in the Bahamas, hit play ‘March On, The Story of Us’ has been inundated with requests to take their show on the road, and the first location they’ll be hitting is Providenciales Turks and Caicos with tickets on sale this weekend from May 3 to 5.

Magnetic Media spoke to Gea Pierre, playwright, who told us the TCI was a natural first choice for the cast and crew.

“We started ‘March On’ in November 2023 and it was really an opportunity for us to tell a story, the story of the Bahamas and to encompass the nations that we have an amazing relationship with like the Turks and Caicos,” she continued “We really got a lot of people calling [for the play] from [the TCI], so much so we really had to pay attention.”

The response to ‘March On’ at home and abroad was overwhelming.

“To say it went well is an understatement, even before we opened we got calls from Canada, from all over the US with people wanting us to come and perform.”

And take the show on the road they did! Gea and her team have launched “March On: The Tour” and will be in Providenciales to perform on May 10th and 11th. It’s the first of a number of stops which include Nassau and several US locations.

A ticket booth will be set up from today, Friday May 3 in the foyer of IGA grocery store beginning at 1 p.m. Friday and then again all day on Saturday, allowing residents to purchase with cash.

Online tickets are available for purchase with credit cards. Then the full team returns on Friday, May 11 for the actual showing at 8 pm and their two showings on Saturday at 4pm and 8 pm. The venue is Brayton Hall, Providenciales under the patronage of Washington Misick, TCI Premier and First Lady Delthia Misick.

Describing the close familial relationships between the TCI and the Bahamas, for many on the crew it will be like coming home Gea told us, for others it will be a treat to visit for the first time, the places that their grandparents described.

Tickets are only $60 for general seating and $75 for VIP seating.

Gea maintained that the team wanted to keep the show as accessible to residents as possible.

As for why you should come out and see the play, other than the great price point:

“The way that people have responded to it is non stoplaughter, people have been moved to tears because there’s some emotion. It does not only lend to Bahamians. It’s a family drama, and anyone who’s ever been a part of a family is going to get something out of it, and something moving.”