The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Fulbright App Development Programme was launched in Grand Bahama on Friday, providing app development training for some 60 young people.

Senator Kwasi Thompson, State Minister for Grand Bahama, said that the app development course will help in not only building capacity in the technology field in Grand Bahama, but also in creating young entrepreneurs.

“It is a skill we believe young people in GB, in particular, should have; and it should assist them when it comes to starting their own businesses and finding employment as well,” he said.

The course is free and will run for the next six weeks, starting on Monday, at Orlando House on Queens Highway. Aaron Saunders, a Fulbright Scholar, is facilitating the course.

Mr Saunders paid a courtesy call on Minister Thompson at the Office of the Prime Minister on Friday afternoon.

“We want to welcome Aaron Saunders… who is in GB over the next few weeks to teach an app development course, Mr Thompson said. In Grand Bahama, as many would know, we are building the capacity in the technology field and building human capacity in the Tech field.”

“We are also focused on building our young people into entrepreneurs, and we are pleased to be partnering with Fulbright Scholars and the US Embassy to provide an app development course in GB that started this morning.”

Minister Thompson said that apps on our cellular phones are not just the way of communicating, but also the way of commerce, banking, doing business, and transferring money.

He said that the government wanted to ensure that young people here could gain skills in developing their own apps.

Mr Thompson explained that apps developed by Bahamians could be used throughout the island of GB in every business. “Every business and institution could use some form of an app because it is an easy and convenient way of communicating with the public and customers.”

Raquel Beneby-Hart, of the OPM, and Lead coordinator for this app development programme, said the 60 programme registrants are between the ages 18 and 30 years.

“We officially begin on Monday with two cohorts; we have an advanced and a beginners course, and we are very excited to afford this opportunity for free because this would have usually cost thousands of dollars. We are grateful to Minister Thompson and the OPM in GB, the US embassy in Nassau, and lead sponsors and stakeholders, including Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute, and Aliv.”

Ms Hart said participants will receive a certificate and will be eligible for seed funding from OPM after completing the course. “This would lead to more entrepreneurship in our community, and also helps to build capacity as it relates to the technology hub here on GB,” she said.

Mr Saunders, CEO, and Founder of Clearly Innovative Inc said he looks forward to working with young people in the Bahamas by providing them structured guidance on how to build a mobile solution.

He is hopeful that from the advanced class they will have some applications that can be deployed to Apple Store and Play store.

“I hope to do my part here and hopefully everyone will find the course beneficial,” he said.

Mr Saunders started his mobile development firm about 11 years ago in Washington, DC.

Before that he worked 25 years in the Tech industry in the US where he recognized that there was a lack of diversity in the tech field.

“The purpose of my company was business solutions, but also to allow young people of colour to have an apprenticeship to get paid and learn how to build mobile development applications,” Mr Saunders said.

“When I started the company, I intended to figure out how I could potentially offshore work to individuals that look like me, in India, Europe, or to other places, and I always hoped… to end up… in the Caribbean to be able to run a programme. I am here, and I am very thankful,” he said.