NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Education and government reform stand out as the top two institutional reforms needed to drive investment in the country, according to the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Federation Chairman.
Ingraham noted that the education system has been failing for some time and also underscored the need for consistency in government policies.
Timothy Ingraham, the BCCEC Chairman, speaking at the Bahamas Business Outlook Conference on Thursday, emphasized the importance of education reform.
“I believe it starts with education. Our education system has been failing us for a while. We see the violence on the streets, which is a manifestation of that. The Chamber sent out a survey last week, and the education level of persons being employed is the number one problem most of our members are reporting. They cannot find good employees to do basic things. We need to fix education.”
Regarding government reforms, Ingraham stressed the need for greater transparency and consistency in government policies, ensuring that issues are addressed promptly and effectively.
Ingraham highlighted challenges with the ease of doing business, specifically mentioning problems with the implementation of island revenue portals.
“The tax authorities decided on January 1 to roll out a new portal. It’s been a complete mess. Wouldn’t it have been better to do a soft rollout three months ago? There was no information or training on how this was going to work, no thought given to how this was going to work when January comes,” said Ingraham.