Innovation and National Development Ministry Created to Prepare the Country for the Future

NASSAU, The Bahamas - The Minister of Innovation and National Development the Hon. Sebastian Bastian explained that the Ministry was created because Prime Minister the Hon. Phillip Davis saw the need to prepare the country for the future, to give national challenges singular focus, and to deliver progress that outlasts any single administration.

"Our Ministry is the Government's lead institution for innovation, national competitiveness, and long-term development - and our job is a practical one: to make government work better, to make The Bahamas easier to do business in, and to make sure our country and our people are ready for what comes next," Minister Bastian said during his Contribution to the 2026/2027 Budget Debate in the House of Assembly on Monday, June 15, 2026.

"The philosophy behind it is simple. Innovation raises productivity. Productivity grows the economy. And a growing economy widens the door of opportunity for ordinary Bahamians-wherever they live, whatever island they call home."

He explained that to get there, this Government Administration's focus rests, above all, on four pillars: Modernize Government, Build Future Readiness, Develop Bahamian Talent and Drive National Development.

The Minister said that this is not work he will do alone. "I am joined by the dedicated teams of the Department of Information, Communications and Technology, the Digital Transformation Unit, the Bahamas National Statistical Institute, and the National Development Plan Secretariat - and by a talented cohort of Bahamians we are assembling to carry it forward. Because this Ministry is not a place people are sent. It is a place people are called to - people with conviction, devoted to lifelong learning, determined to advance this nation."

He said in the areas where the needed expertise is not yet available at home, the Government will bring in the right experts to meet those needs quickly-and ensure that Bahamians are trained alongside them every step of the way.

"This is how we move with urgency today, while continuing to build the capacity this country needs."

(BIS Photo/Ulric Woodside)