By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister yesterday said the government has not abandoned its Grand Bahama "technology hub" ambitions as it refocuses on training to drive a "resurgence" in entrepreneurs.

Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama, said: "We are continuing our Grand Bahama tech hub initiative. Education and training is a high priority with respect to that, but it also evolves to jobs, because we have seen with this COVID-19 period an increase in the amount of e-commerce opportunities.

"One thing that was actually delayed with the COVID-19, and is going to move forward, is an app development programme where we are going to be training 100 Grand Bahamians in app development. They will then be able to use those skills in the technology industry.

Mr Thompson conceded that the "technology hub" proposal, unveiled with much fanfare in the post-general election "Speech from the Throne", "continues to be a work in progress" but was something the government is "very, very dedicated to".

However, the app development training initiative appears to be an indication that the government has refocused its efforts on developing a skilled Bahamian technology workforce that will prove attractive to the industry and encourage companies to domicile in this nation.

The Minnis administration had initially focused on attracting the businesses to Grand Bahama, employing a "top down" as opposed to "bottom up" strategy for building the technology hub, workforce development representing the latter. However, its ambitions seem to have stalled and been marked by several high-profile failures, with GIBC Digital, hailed as the "poster child" for the initiative, closing its physical office and laying off staff.

Mr Thompson, though, said: "One of the things we are going to have to begin to focus on really is the training aspect, but also we have to focus on entrepreneurship and building that start-up community, because a whole part of the tech hub is not just attracting those large companies, which we want to do, but really developing your tech entrepreneurs.

"We have actually seen a resurgence in young Bahamian tech entrepreneurs, who are very motivated and have actually been doing some very good work and getting international jobs as well. That's what we have to continue to develop. We are very, very dedicated to pushing that.

"The app development training is being run out of the Office of the Prime Minister in Grand Bahama, and also in conjunction with the Fulbright programme out of the US. BTVI (Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute) will also be assisting us with conducting the on-site training, and there is a Fulbright scholar who is going to be travelling once the country opens up. They will be travelling to assist us with doing the training as well."

Mr Thompson added that the app development programme has been "having some very, very good discussions with CISCO, and we are very close to reaching an agreement with them for a software development programme. After those persons have been trained in software development, they will be open to finding work with respect to software development in CISCO networks".

"As you know, with software development, you don't actually have to physically be there to develop the software," Mr Thompson said. "You can be here in The Bahamas, and be doing software development work for companies all around the world. So that's one of the opportunities we are working on.

"We believe there is going to be some good opportunities for Bahamians, particularly Grand Bahamians, for the construction industry and the technology industry as well."