Thank you for the invitation to be with you today. I returned home yesterday from a conference in Cape Town, South Africa on statelessness and gender equality jointly hosted by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliament of South Africa. One of our great global challenges is the movement of refugees crossing land borders and oceans, and crossing between continents.
War, terrorism, economic hardship, famine and other causes, result in the flow of millions escaping their homelands in search of peace, security and a better life. We have seen on TV those fleeing the Middle East and Africa for Europe. We know in our country the movement of immigrants to The Bahamas, mostly from the Republic of Haiti.
During my travels, in addition to the issues related to illegal immigration, I reflected on the multiple and complex challenges facing The Bahamas, from economic problems to climate change to the drain of Bahamian talent and imagination to other countries. I would like to briefly address a few of these challenges and how we might respond to them through innovative ideas which flow from the spirit of entrepreneurship in The Bahamas.
The recent Economist Intelligence Unit Country Report on The Bahamas dated November 25, 2015 lists some of the challenges that we face. The report notes in the outlook for 2015-16 section that The Bahamas has: “A weak fiscal position, rising debt burden, low demand for tourism, a soft jobs market and a high crime rate...”.
The report notes: “The U.S. and other governments have stepped up crime warnings for tourists travelling to The Bahamas, in response to an increase in murders, armed robberies and other crimes.”
The report notes also: “On August 25th Standard and Poor’s downgraded The Bahamas to one notch above junk grade status, owing to continued delays at the Baha Mar megaresort and the likely impact of this on investment.”What the Economist Intelligence Unit report broadcasts to international observers and investors, we already well know at home. Our economy is in a perilous state, potentially on the verge of another downgrade and possibly on the brink of a recession. A downgrade to junk status would be catastrophic and wreak havoc on public finances.
Joblessness and underemployment are at critical levels. Youth unemployment is staggeringly high. New Providence is terrorized by crime and violence. We have reached a new murder record. Criminal gangs and networks operate in many instances with abandon. There is increasing social decay and alienation in many quarters.
Added to the country’s woes was the destruction caused by Hurricane Joaquin in October, a category four storm with over 140 to 170 mph winds, which devastated Crooked Island and parts of Long Island and inflicted major damage on Acklins, Long Cay, San Salvador, Cat Island and Rum Cay.
In the aftermath of Joaquin we were reminded of the threats posed by climate change to a low-lying, far-flung archipelago such as ours.
In addition to rising sea levels, we are faced with what scientists believe will be more intense hurricanes. We are faced with the destruction of coral, the increased acidification of our waters, the decline in fish populations and marine health, among other threats.
As great as are these challenges, there is an equally great challenge. This great challenge is how we respond to the many problems which confront us as a nation. It has been said in various ways, by philosophers, entrepreneurs, artists, political leaders, innovators and experts in many fields, that one of the greatest forces for good and for progress, is the power of the imagination. The power of the imagination is what drives the entrepreneurial spirit.
The entrepreneurial spirit
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my sincere belief that we possess the tools as a people and as a country to face with resolve and imagination the great issues of today and tomorrow. We have a rich treasury of Bahamian talent and imagination waiting to be tapped. The question is whether we are able to harness and direct the collective imagination of our people to meet our shared challenges. Much of our hope lies in the entrepreneurial spirt of Bahamians at home and abroad as well as residents of The Bahamas.
Earlier this year I had the privilege of meeting Aisha Bowe, who once worked as an aerospace and mission engineer at NASA in the U.S., and who now runs her own foundation. Aisha is of Bahamian descent. After leaving NASA she co-founded STEMBoard, “a technology solutions company that works to close the achievement gap by empowering historically underrepresented youth to help build transformational technologies.”
Aisha brought her program to The Bahamas to help develop the scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical skills of young Bahamians. She held a very successful training program this past summer. She worked with students to develop ideas for using science, technology, math and engineering to meet various national challenges such as in the areas of the environment and national security.
One of her ideas is the use of cost-effective surveillance technology to help The Bahamas to protect its borders from threats such as gun and drug trafficking, the movement of illegal immigrants and poaching. We have a far-flung archipelago with borders which are difficult to protect. Imagine the better use of drones and satellite technology to help us to better secure our borders.
Aisha Bowe and others like her, possess the kinds of skills and imagination we need to address some of our most vexing problems. Our task as a country is to effectively utilize the know-how and the entrepreneurial spirit of people like Aisha. Think of how we might use the research and best practices of groups like The Island School and others to help us to move to a more sustainable future through the greater use of renewable energy.
Some years ago, at only 21, Alanna Rodgers and a group of friends started Hands for Hunger. They saw thousands of Bahamians who went hungry or who were not getting proper nourishment. Like every entrepreneur, Alana saw a great need. She responded with creativity and imagination. Today, Hands for Hunger provides 10,000 nutritious meals a week. The program rescues edible food that would otherwise be wasted and provides meals for scores of Bahamians who would otherwise go hungry.
What we need now more than ever is to confront old challenges with new ideas. There is a natural spirit of entrepreneurship and imagination in us as human beings. I saw this spirit alive and well in the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin, including among young Bahamians.
In the tremendous outpouring of generosity in response to Joaquin I saw the new ideas, technological savvy and energy of a new generation of 20- and 30-something-year-olds alongside the wisdom and experience of older generations.
At the command and operations center we set up at Odyssey Aviation Nassau, many young Bahamians came forward to provide assistance with logistics, communications and transport.
I was deeply impressed with how a new generation of young Bahamians utilized social media for general communication, crowdfunding and fundraising activities and to connect those in the affected areas with their families throughout The Bahamas and indeed the world. Ladies and gentlemen, the new normal of the Bahamian economy requires new ways of thinking. This new normal means fewer jobs and instability in the job market.
In response to this new reality, many Bahamians are thinking of new entrepreneurial and business ideas, creating new markets and seizing opportunities. One young man I know has a company producing bush tea drinks and juices. Another young lady is starting a heritage tour company. These are but two examples of new small enterprises developed by young Bahamians in an economy that is going through fundamental changes and restructuring.
Today’s employment challenges will require more Bahamians to work for themselves in all manner of start-ups, including, in the creative economy. We need even more: entrepreneurs designing and producing jewellery, crafts and souvenirs; visual and recording artists; masseuses and those producing healing oils and scents; clothes and leisure wear designers and manufacturers; heritage tourism providers; and other participants in the creative economy.
You may have seen designers using straw work to produce clothing, footwear, handbags and other goods. There is an ever-expanding gallery of Bahamian designers.
David Rolle from The Bahamas, who designs women’s clothing, just won the regional Mission Catwalk All Star Season.
Latrell Strachan is another Bahamian designer gaining notice for his novel designs of male and female clothing. There is a new generation of smallholding farmers producing vegetables, herbs and spices as well as organic foods, meats and poultry.
The Bahamian imagination is overflowing with creativity and new possibilities. It is the task of political leaders to help a new generation of Bahamian entrepreneurs to make real their ideas, by helping them to gain access to capital, to business mentoring and to other tools.
Ladies and gentlemen, our challenges are complex and difficult. But we will not meet these challenges with outdated mindsets and old ways of thinking. Even more urgently than before, we must utilize the imagination and spirit of Bahamian entrepreneurship not only to progress as a country but more importantly to survive the new world in which we find ourselves.
I thank you.
• Loretta Butler-Turner is the member of Parliament for Long Island.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
