The UK Minister for the Caribbean, is in The Bahamas today.
While in Nassau, the Minister met Prime Minister Philip Davis KC
to discuss formally our bilateral partnership, and our shared
priority of growing our economies, empowering our young people,
and fighting the climate and nature crises.
The Minister and Prime Minister announced a series of new trade
deals between the UK and The Bahamas, that will see UK businesses
including Manchester Airport Group and Amey PLC awarded contracts
for work to operator Freeport Airport, and rebuild Glass Window
Bridge.
In a demonstration of the growing UK-Bahamas trade relationship,
was also able to announce
that Amey PLC, the firm behind construction of the M1 and the
rebuilding of Liverpool Lime Street, will be making Nassau the
home of its first ever office in the Americas.
The firm will hire and train Bahamian engineers and project
managers, and connect Bahamian companies with British expertise
to win contracts across the Caribbean and USA.
The current trade relationship between the UK and The Bahamas
amounts to $5bn a year, making the UK one of The Bahamas' most
significant trade partners.
UK Caribbean Minister, said:
The UK-Bahamas relationship is going from strength to strength.
The deals I am announcing alongside the Right Honourable Philip
Davis here this week will see British businesses deliver
essential infrastructure projects for The Bahamas, and invest
directly in The Bahamas.
They are a further illustration of our growing partnership, as we
continue work to deliver growth and prosperity for the people of
both our nations.
I look forward to continuing to deepen our ties from trade to
climate during my time in The Bahamas.
During her visit, also met Minister of
Education and Technical and Vocational Training, Glenys
Hanna-Martin, where she formally handed over 10,000 pages of
historic documents pertaining to Bahamian Independence, that have
been stored in the National Archives in the UK.
The documents have also been digitised and will be made available
by The Bahamas' National Archive, which will increase access and
public understanding of the process undertaken to achieve
independence by students both in The Bahamas and the
UK.
Following a visit to a coral reef to see the work local NGOs are
doing to preserve an important ecological area, the Minister
toured the University of The Bahamas, where she took part in a
roundtable alongside environmental science students, academics
and NGOs focused on the impact of climate change on The Bahamas.
Finally, the Minister visited the Forensics department of The
Royal Bahamas Police Force and met two senior female officers who
were recipients of the UK Chevening scholarship, and who received
formal UK forensics training.
