NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Grand Bahama Port Authority President Ian Rolle said yesterday that the GBPA is open to discussions with the government, expressing optimism over a favorable resolution for the island of Grand Bahama and The Bahamas as a whole.

Over the past several months, the government has been locked in a back-and-forth with the GBPA over the latter's management of Freeport. This was initiated when Prime Minister Davis stated last June during his wrap-up to the budget debate that the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) needs a "management and governance change" to realize real growth and opportunities in Grand Bahama. The government has also accused the GBPA of failing to repay costs the government has incurred in providing public services in Freeport despite being billed for these expenses. That sum is reportedly over $100 million.

Rolle, when asked about the relationship between the government and the GBPA, took a conciliatory tone, telling reporters at the Bahamas Business Outlook Conference: "The Ministry for Grand Bahama is working closely with GBPA executives to ensure we focus on ease of doing business initiatives and other things GBPA has requested, such as amendments to the bylaws. The Ministry for Grand Bahama has been working tirelessly to cause the amendments to happen."

He further noted: "We believe if we sit down together, anything can be worked out for the betterment of Grand Bahama and the Bahamas as a whole. If Grand Bahama does well, the entire Bahamas benefits."

According to Rolle, Grand Bahama has some $2 billion worth of projects in the pipeline.

"We are open to having discussions with the government of the Bahamas. We have said that plainly and I think that would probably happen at the end of the day," said Rolle.

"The people of Grand Bahama will be rewarded for their resilience and patience. After all these bad years of economic activity due to economic disasters, we are going to see a turnaround in Grand Bahama.

When asked about a potential sale of the GBPA, Rolle replied: "That's above my pay grade. That's at the shareholder level, but as far as I know, we are not up for sale."

Click here to read more on the Eye Witness News website