ECONOMY, EDUCATION, CRIME FIGHT TO RECEIVE PRIORITY ATTENTION
NASSAU, Bahamas — Though he provided no specifics, Prime Minister Philip E. Davis said yesterday that his administration will focus on education, growing the economy and tackling the scourge of violent crime in the country over the next year, The Nassau Guardian reported on Friday, January 20, in an article written by Assistant Editor Travis Cartwright-Carroll.
Davis, who spoke at the 32nd annual Bahamas Business Outlook, said his government intends to deal with the high cost of living in the country.
“We will continue to pursue growth in GDP and revenue, maximize the amount of investment in the country, and maintain efforts to reduce our debt,” the prime minister said.
“That said, we will put a particular focus on reducing the cost of living and making efforts to lift people out of poverty.
“Even though the inflationary pressures are largely the result of global events and foreign economies, we will do whatever we can to ease the burden on Bahamian consumers.”
However, the prime minister did not indicate what measures his administration intends to take to lift people out of poverty or ease the burden on consumers.
Minister of Social Services Obie Wilchcombe recently said the Department of Social Services has in recent months seen a growing demand for assistance.
The minister said inflation is a contributing factor.
High inflation has been among the greatest challenges facing many Bahamians over the last year.
In its Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September, the Bahamas National Statistical Institute (BNSI) reported that consumer prices showed a 6.5 percent increase year over year, reflective of the continued pressures of global inflation.
On the issue of crime, The Bahamas saw a 7.6 percent rise in murders in 2022 compared to 2021.
So far, there have been nine murders for 2023.
Davis, who recently met with US Vice President Kamala Harris, said the pair talked about how to address, among other things, gun trafficking.
“Central to our discussions were issues relating to illegal maritime migration and gun smuggling,” he said. “We agreed to broaden and strengthen the already strong partnership between our two countries in fighting these scourges, which do so much to threaten and undermine our society. If we can make our borders more secure, and reduce the flow of guns into our country, we will take big steps forward in national security.”
On education, Davis noted that there is a need to address the learning loss caused by the pandemic.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Education revealed that it engaged a US-based company to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the learning loss suffered by students during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide recommendations for accelerating learning recovery.
Davis said yesterday, “…As extensive as the infrastructure repairs were, it is far more difficult to repair the damage done by years of interrupted schooling.
“And so, our Learning Recovery Task Force is taking a multi-layered approach to making up for lost time.”
The prime minister spent most of his speech detailing the events that led to independence and challenged business owners to be “creative”.
See complete article in The Nassau Guardian at https://thenassauguardian.com/davis-outlines-agenda-for-2023/
