Bahamas News
Bahamas Caucus Youth Climate Change
#TheBahamas, February 23, 2022 – During his remarks at the One Young World Bahamas Caucus, on February 17, 2022, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis noted that, when he addressed the ‘One Young World Ambassadors’ in October 2021, just before COP26 in Glasgow, he focused on the environmental and economic damage being inflicted by the adverse effects of climate change – on the world at large, and on The Bahamas in particular.
“I implored you to join me in spreading the word about the urgent need for global climate action,” he said at the event held at the Culinary Arts and Tourism Studies Building of the University of The Bahamas, under the theme, “Climate Action: The Roadmap to Climate Recovery in the Caribbean”.
“After COP26, one thing is clear in my mind: the word has been spread; the world knows.
Leaders know,” he added.
Among those present at the event included Co-Founder of One Young World David Jones, and UB’s Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Maria Woodside-Oriakhi.
Prime Minister Davis recounted that one by one, leaders of various countries stood on theCOP26 stage, and recited a litany of the damage and risks associated with the adverse impact of climate change.
“In my own contribution, I emphatically made the point about the particular vulnerabilities of low-lying, Small Island Developing States such as ours,” he said. “And I made sure that it wasn’t just what I believe younger generations refer to as a ‘Pity Party’.”
Prime Minister Davis said that he urged his colleagues to “act and to act now, to help us to help ourselves with the financial support and technology transfers which would enable us to rebuild our country to be resilient against the onslaught of climate change”.
He said: “The Leaders know. The world knows. It is the action which must now follow which leaves much to be desired.”
Prime Minister Davis said that he hears the frustration of many young people about the lack of action.
“I hear your fears and anxieties about your future, and the kind of world you will inherit,” he said. “I understand that amidst this existential threat and the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic greater sacrifices are demanded from you.”
Prime Minister Davis urged them to not despair.
“Even though the world seems to remain stubbornly addicted to a way of life that produces carbon emissions, there are signs that the largest-polluting countries and the highest-polluting industries, are hearing the message,” he said.
He noted that steps taken so far were not nearly enough — and certainly not fast enough; and all must not be fooled by attempts to ‘green-wash’ and confuse the debate.
“But we mustn’t give up, and all our lives depend on it,” he added.
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that two particular features of the ‘One World Caucus’ being held that day, gave him great cause for optimism and hope.
The first feature he noted was their commitment to internationalism.
“Even while there are worrying signs that some nations are being tempted into isolationism and nationalism, your organisation’s continuing commitment to international partnership and international action, is a real cause for optimism,” Prime Minister Davis said.
“It may seem normal to you that you come together in this way,” he added. “But, be aware that even now, as old geo-political conflicts flare up, and new ones emerge, there will only be justice and peace in this world if we find meaningful ways to come together and to work together.”
Prime Minister Davis said that the second cause for optimism lay in their potential for serious, consequential activism.
“But even as you take on the great issues of our time, remember that no activist cause worth fighting for, was won overnight,” he noted. “Just because the present reality seems so stacked against it, doesn’t mean that success, however defined, is not possible.”
Prime Minister Davis then spoke briefly on historic international activism pertaining to women’s rights, racial equality and social rights.
“The ongoing battles of various ethnic minorities for their security, of other groups of people for economic justice, for gender equality, for the ability to live your own truth and be who you are – whoever you are — these are not yet fully won,” he noted. “But the activist efforts behind them continue to yield positive results, however small.”
“I offer these examples to you by way of inspiration,” he added. “Don’t give up. Keep on keeping on. And in not giving up, keep pushing the battle forward.”
Prime Minister Davis told participants that, through their continued activist efforts, many of those who once denied the reality of the negative impacts of climate change, have fallen silent.
“This is partly due to the evidence of two-storey waves of devastating Category 5 hurricanes, the terrifying tornadoes, the furnaces of wildfires which have spread across many continents, and the floods and the landslides which threaten so many communities,” he said. “But it is also because young people like you, have made it clear that they want more than irresponsible debate.
“Don’t give up. Keep on keeping on.”
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that in The Bahamas, they were making their own effort.
“Yesterday, I was proud to tell Parliament about this Dialogue today,” he said. “It was in the context of my reporting on the achievements of COP26 by The Bahamas, and the actions since taken by my government.
“In my Communication, I devoted an entire section to ‘Youth Empowerment and Capacity-Building’.”
Prime Minister Davis briefly set out some of the key announcements that he made in the House of Assembly.
“I advised my fellow parliamentarians that this engagement today is the first of several initiatives by my Administration, to connect, collaborate and strategize with young people on matters relating to climate change,” he related.
“I also formally announced that my government has agreed to host a ‘Youth Climate Conference’ at the University of The Bahamas later this year, from July 6th – 8th.”
He added that he was happy to report that they were excited to hear that young people from around the world will be invited to engage with Bahamians from 15-30yrs old, to debate and discuss issues relating to climate change mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and climate justice.
“Hopefully, many of you already know that we are an archipelago of some 700 islands.
Of these, there are 16 main islands which are inhabited, which we call the Family Islands,” Prime Minister Davis said. “To demonstrate the scale of our commitment to the Conference, we promised to ensure that at least two students from each of our Family Islands are able to participate in the ‘Youth Climate Conference’.
“Yesterday, I also informed Parliament that we have appointed two ‘Climate Youth Ambassadors’ to help us to engage and empower young people on the world stage. This was also extremely well-received.”
Prime Minister Davis noted that, as they prepared for The Bahamas to be well-represented at COP27 in Egypt, he announced that his Government is committed to ensuring that at least eight Youth Representatives will form part of the delegation from The Bahamas.
“We hope to stimulate as much interest as possible by young Bahamians, and hope that all young people interested in climate change will put themselves forward to be considered in this competitive selection process,” he said.
“These measures are only the beginning,” he added. “We are already closely considering much bigger, much more tangible measures that will allow The Bahamas to play a bigger role in helping to secure all our tomorrows.”
“I concluded my Parliamentary Communication by pointing out to my fellow lawmakers, that ‘at no time in our history have the Bahamian people been so actively involved and aware of what is happening on the international stage in respect of climate change.
And at no time has the presence of our people been so necessary.
We are one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
To do nothing, to say nothing, not to show up, not to raise our hands and voices and be counted: for my Government, this is simply not an option’.”
Prime Minister noted that that was also his charge to the Caucus.
He said: “Continue to do all you can. Continue to show up. Continue to speak up. Continue to raise your hands and voices. Continue to be counted.
“This is nothing less than the battle of our lives, a battle that we have to win.”
By: Eric Rose
Bahamas Information Services
Photo Caption: Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis speaks, during his remarks at the One Young World Bahamas Caucus, on February 17, 2022, held at the Culinary Arts and Tourism Studies Building of the University of The Bahamas, under the theme, “Climate Action: The Roadmap to Climate Recovery in the Caribbean.” (BIS Photos/Eric Rose)
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.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
