NASSAU — The investor aiming to kickstart Grand Bahama’s “technology hub” yesterday pledged to fully “Bahamainise” “sooner rather than later”, having been inundated with 100 job applications per day, Tribune Business Editor Neil Hartnell reported on May 8.
Greg Wood, GIBC Digital’s chief executive, told Tribune Business it was the “right company” to fulfill and “accelerate” the Government’s vision, given that its training focus will help develop a skilled, technology-savvy Bahamian workforce that will attract like-minded companies to The Bahamas.
Describing GIBC Digital as “a natural fit” for the Minnis administration’s plans, Mr Wood said the company’s projected $50m annual economic impact by 2020 was a “conservative” estimate given the spin-offs its presence will generate.
The New York-headquartered firm will begin training of its first Bahamian employees on June 4, with GIBC Digital’s founder expressing hope that the Freeport workforce will be “90 per cent” local from the start.
Mr Wood said the company planned to attract foreign technology firms to use its training facility, thus creating an influx of corporate travellers that will boost Freeport’s hotel occupancies and spending in restaurant.
Describing the island’s existing IT and other infrastructure as “adequate”, he warned that continuous investment by both the Government and private sector was necessary to maintain this support platform and The Bahamas’ competitiveness versus global rivals.
GIBC Digital’s Freeport investment will likely prove “a model” for the company’s expansion into Asia and Africa, Mr Wood added, with its training and data centres playing critical role in this strategy.
He suggested that Grand Bahama could become known as the Caribbean’s “Silicon Valley” within a decade, with Bahamians wasting no time in reacting to GIBC Digital’s impending arrival.
