NASSAU, Bahamas — COVID-19 has given Freeport a “now or never opportunity” to fulfill an economic potential that could ultimately generate 40-60 percent of Bahamian GDP, a prominent attorney argued yesterday, The Tribune reported on September 24 in an article written by Business Editor Neil Hartnell.
Robert Adams, who heads the Revitalization and Economic Expansion of Freeport (REEF) committee, told Tribune Business that “the road to the economic turnaround of The Bahamas goes and lies” through the nation’s second city, especially when it comes to diversification and attracting new industries.
He disclosed that the 20-person committee, launched quietly some six months ago by the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA), is proposing that Freeport build on its existing strengths through the container port, shipyard and harbour to “rebrand as the Maritime Centre for the Americas.”
Mr Adams argued that this, together with plans to establish Freeport and wider Grand Bahama as “a centre of excellence” for the so-called “Blue Economy”, which involves maximising the benefits of marine resources in a sustainable way, could “perhaps define Freeport’s identity for the first time.”
The committee’s wide-ranging suggestions, covering reforms in areas such as Immigration, tourism, the ease of doing business and land and real estate, also focus on Freeport’s immediate needs for a new airport and hospital as critical infrastructure foundations that are essential to any hopes of economic recovery on Grand Bahama.
They were released publicly yesterday for the first time as part of a 21-day consultation process, as the committee bids to obtain feedback and fresh ideas from both the private sector and individual residents on how the economy should be rebuilt post-COVID-19 and Hurricane Dorian.
Acknowledging that the committee and GBPA “do not have all the ideas and proposed solutions”, Mr Adams pledged “don’t count us out” as he conceded that many residents will be weary due to the island’s challenges over the past 15 years. See the complete Tribune article at http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/sep/24/now-or-never-freeport/
