BY OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 12, 2024 – It is now blatantly obvious that the criticism by Free National Movement (FMN) Leader Michael Pintard of the official visit by Prime Minister Philip E. Davis to Botswana in March was an exercise in political gamesmanship that will be archived as one of the darkest pages in this country’s political history.
It did not seem to matter to Mr. Pintard that Prime Minister Davis’ official visit to the Republic of Botswana from March 18 to 22 was in response to a reciprocal invitation from His Excellency Dr. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, President of Botswana; who made an official visit to The Bahamas in September of 2023.
All that seemed to matter to this scheming Leader of the Opposition was the size of the delegation that accompanied the Prime Minister to Botswana, which became fodder for his criticism of the trip in The Nassau Guardian when he revealed that he was invited by the Prime Minister to be a member of the delegation but declined the invitation, obviously to buttress his criticism of the delegation’s size. This level of deviousness very often underpins the decisions of this irresponsible political leader.
To be sure, this may be one of the reasons why political journeyman Branville McCartney, who is former Leader of the Democratic Naional Alliance (DNA), said recently that he wants to see former Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis return to lead the country, notwithstanding the fact that Dr. Minnis arguably was the worst of the five Prime Ministers The Bahamas has had since it became an independent nation on July 10, 1975.
Of course, Mr. McCartney is a former FNM Cabinet Minister, who resigned from the Cabinet in February of 2010 when Hubert Ingraham was Prime Minister, and he may be trying to “feather his own nest” and resurrect himself from his political deathbed to resume his abandoned quest to one day be Prime Minister of The Bahamas.
Clearly, however, the accolades The Bahamas is currently receiving all across Africa in the aftermath of the signing of the agreement on Thursday, April 11, to host the upcoming African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) annual meetings in Nassau from June 12 – 14, 2024 has made Mr. Pintard’s efforts to discredit Prime Minister Davis all the more difficult.
Whether it was his recent audience with His Holiness Pope Francis or his meetings with various world leaders, Prime Minister Davis, since he assumed office, has performed on the political world stage in a manner that has generated tremendous pride among Bahamians who are not politically biased.
The signing of the agreement to host the 31st Afreximbank Annual Meetings, which was live streamed to reach a global audience, provided the Prime Minister with another opportunity to demonstrate his proficient leadership of The Bahamas on the world stage.
“Hosting both the AAM and ACTIF demonstrates the determination and commitment of The Bahamas to leverage on the shared history, identities, and cultures of AfriCaribbean nations to forge significantly greater trade, investment, and direct transport linkages,” Prime Minister Davis said. “Doing so will stimulate economic growth and development, which will feed through to immensely beneficial societal impact. It is also vital that we enhance our global influence by speaking with a unified voice on matters such as securing global action to meaningfully address climate change.”
Professor Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, noted that Afreximbank’s “historic decision to hold the 31st Afreximbank Annual Meetings in The Bahamas will be the first time it has been held in the Caribbean.”
“There is a hugely positive outlook for many African and CARICOM countries – as demonstrated by the IMF’s forecast that seven African countries and one CARICOM country will be in the top 10 fastest growing economies globally – so cementing closer links between the two regions is of clear mutual benefit to accelerate growth and prosperity,” Professor Oramah said. “We are in an era where some major global economies are reacting to geopolitical tensions by restricting international trade to prioritise their domestic industries.”
He added, “This partial move away from the rules-based trading system, where international trade is conducted according to agreed-upon transparent, non-discriminatory, and impartial rules, threatens the longstanding reliance of African economies on global support for shared growth and prosperity. In this context, the theme for the31st AAM and the 3rd ACTIF is ‘Owing Our Destiny: Economic Prosperity on the Platform of Global Africa.’This theme reflects our focus on broadening the discourse to determine solutions to the challenges that affect African Caribbean economies, the policy issues required to promote growth, development and prosperity across Africa and the Caribbean, and to accelerate intra-African trade and investment flows, including with the diaspora.”
According to Professor Oramah, the impact of the three-day event will be heightened by the Opening Ceremony, the Presidential Plenary and high-level panel sessions. The focus will be on the emerging neo-protectionism from advanced economies and the need for Africans to pursue self-determination in the context of a Global Africa that includes the Caribbean and the diaspora generally. Seminars will continue on the second day, while 14 June will be dedicated to the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) and will be marked by colourful events to celebrate shared AfriCaribbean culture, as well as elevating the essence of the two regions shared socio-economic aspirations.
