A Bold New Caribbean

O n July 10, 2023, The Commonwealth of The Bahamas celebrated 50 years of independence. The preceding months leading up to this major milestone allowed us as a country ample time for re- flection on many of the high points of our post-Independence experiences, as well as those periods from which there were lessons to be learned. We were able to look back and applaud ourselves for 50 years of economic and political stability, continuous overall growth and development, on the great strides made in improving the lives of our citizens and ensuring that our young people are educated appropriately for the future.

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These are by no means insignificant accomplish- ments. These first 50 years have indeed been foundational. Our Prime Minister the Hon. Philip Davis said recently at one of these anniversary events that, in the spirit of unity, we must ensure that this monumental year is celebrated, hon- ored, and used as the launching point for the new Bahamas that we see in our visions. Adding that, if we are to continue to build a country that all Bahamians can be proud of, we must commit to making this a collective goal. No matter how great or small the contribution of the individu- al, our collective effort must be a singular one, which is to build a stronger, more resilient country for the benefit of all Bahamians. Reflection, however, has not been our sole focus. With the majority of our celebrations behind us, work continues toward securing a future for the country in a region, and a world where the speed of change and progress is ever increasing. We are building on these accomplishments. We are scanning the global horizon in order to make all necessary plans for what the future may pos- sibly bring and how we might best take advan- tage of any emerging opportunities. Some of the challenges we will face, will be common to us all in the region. Wemust ask, howdowe as a region, move away from our dependency on imports to feed ourselves. How do we as a region build sustainable and environmentally viable energy generating al- ternatives to fossil fuels? How do we educate and harness the imaginative fuel of the younger generation to compete on a more level playing field globally?

We must do so by creating opportunities for entrepreneurship, in as many sectors as pos- sible. We have seenwhat awell-developed and diversified tourism product can do for a coun- try. We live an excellent example of this here in The Bahamas. In order to continue as a viable sector however, one that is keeping apace of the evolving global tourism landscape, we are looking to diversify and create opportunities for the next generation, so that they might have greater participation and ownership in this. We want them to be self-determined and filled with self-confidence. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as a re- gional body is too celebrating its 50th anniver- sary this year. Some self-assessment as a body will naturally be part of whatever celebrations are planned. A lot of this has already taken place and is concretely reflected in the CAR- ICOM Secretariat Strategic Plan 2022 – 2030. We understand all too well the Ghanaian concept of Sankofa, which loosely interpreted, means that we look back and gather all that is good from the past to fuel our forward movement. There is much wisdom in this, and based on the outcome of this process, plans are made. Wisdom also teaches us that we cannot go it alone. The Bahamas has chosen to move for- ward with our Caribbean family. This is why CARICOM exists, so that all countries in the re- gion may face the future as one. Several CAR- ICOM members have already observed their 50th anniversaries and so any lessons learned should be shared with the greater collective. Learning from one’s own experience is one thing, gleaning wisdom from the experiences of others also has its benefits.

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