The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie revealed yesterday he had held discussions with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) over providing financial assistance to help bring “new life” to Inagua as an island destination, capitalising on its wildlife resources.

Mr Christie, who met with IDB president, Luis Moreno, at the Caribbean Growth Forum at Atlantis, acknowledged he had held lengthy discussions with the bank on Inagua and its wildlife resources, and how it could assist the Government in capitalising on those resources.

Speaking at the signing of a technical cooperation agreement with the IDB for a $450,000 project, which aims to strengthen ‘institutional capacity’ within the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr Christie said the Bahamas had risked not having a planned approach to dealing with investments.

“In the last calendar year we attracted to the Bahamas over $1 billion in direct foreign investment ,and really we were too much at risk in not having a planned approach to dealing with the investment, to assessing the impacts of the investments and really being able to know that it is going to serve the best interest of the country,” said Mr Christie.

He added that the Government would be able to give stronger guarantees to the Bahamian people through having a planned approach to the investment sector.

Mr Christie said he was optimistic about the country’s economic growth going forward. “My optimism is now being driven by the reality of interest being expressed by foreign investors in different parts of the Bahamas; about this being the time for them to invest here significantly,” said Mr Christie, citing major proposed developments on Bimini and Grand Bahama.