Good morning and welcome!
I’ve been thinking about the wonderful people of Exuma this morning.
Even from Nassau, you can feel the pride and determination that run through that island. Exuma has a spirit that never dims – a confidence in its future, a belief in its people, and a steady resilience that has carried it through every season.
And there is someone who brings that Exuma spirit into every room he walks into — the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Chester Cooper.
Let me say this in a personal way, because he has earned it.
Chester is Exuma’s son. And he fights for his island the way a man fights for his own family.
When he walks into my office with a proposal for Exuma, there is no hesitation in his voice. He tells me plainly, “Prime Minister, my people need this. We must move.”
And he pushes. Then he pushes again. And he doesn’t stop until he knows progress is on the way.
Many people see the speeches and the titles. They don’t see the late-night calls, the weekend briefings, the constant follow-ups, and the way he refuses to let any opportunity slip away.
The progress we are marking today moved as quickly and as smoothly as it did because Chester never let it fall off the table. Exuma is blessed to have him, and our country is stronger because of his commitment.
Today, we take another step forward together.
We are marking the redevelopment of the former Sandals Emerald Bay into Beaches Exuma — a one-hundred-million-dollar investment and a full transformation of the resort into a family-focused destination over the next 24 months.
But the dollars are not the heart of the story. The heart of the story is the people:
the contractors who will get work,
the small businesses that will feel the uplift,
the young Exumians who will finally have a real pathway into the industry.
Independent assessments show that once the resort is fully open, it will support more than 1,500 jobs each year and attract tens of thousands of visitors.
That means more money circulating in Exuma’s economy, more opportunities for families, and more strength across the Family Islands.
And there is something that gives me deep pride: the commitment to training our young people.
Sandals has agreed to a partnership with L.N. Coakley High School for a paid traineeship programme, twenty-five apprenticeships upon reopening, and an exchange initiative that will see Bahamians training in other Sandals properties across the Caribbean.
This is exactly what we have been pushing for as a government — real opportunities that put Bahamians in a position to rise.
When our people can upskill, when they can train, when they can earn while they learn, the entire country benefits.
Sandals has been a steady partner to our country for decades. Since 1995, they have invested more than 230 million dollars in The Bahamas, and the Emerald Bay property alone generated more than 34 million dollars a year in economic activity.
Their contributions to our schools, our environment, and our communities have had real impact.
Today strengthens that partnership and ties it directly to the national progress Bahamians are asking for.
Across the archipelago, we are seeing new investments, stronger infrastructure, and more opportunities opening up for people of every age.
We are building a modern economy that works for Bahamians — island by island, household by household. And we are not slowing down.
Beaches Exuma will bring more visitors, more jobs, and more possibilities for the people of Exuma.
And as we keep moving forward as a country, we stay grounded in one simple belief: progress must be felt in people’s lives.
I thank Sandals for their confidence in our country.
I thank the people of Exuma for their resilience, their pride, and their belief in what is possible.
And I thank the Deputy Prime Minister once again — for his leadership, his determination, and his unshakeable commitment to his island.
Let us keep building on progress.
Thank you.