Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis delivered an address at the opening ceremony of the CANTO Conference underway at the Baha Mar Resort this week.

During his remarks Mr. Davis highlighted some of the disparities in telecommunications around the Caribbean. He said, “across the Caribbean there are still children who cannot access reliable internet to complete a school assignment. There are small businesses shut out of global markets because the infrastructure simply doesn’t exist. There are civil servants expected to deliver 21st century services with 20th century tools.”

The Prime Minister opined that we are moving too slowly and cautiously in the region. “We’re living through one of the most profound shifts in human history. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, block chain, these are not distant possibilities they are shaping global markets now, influencing public life now, redefining power now. And yet at the same time many of our nation’s are still grappling with the basics, ensuring rural communities have access to broadband,” he said.

The Bahamas is the first country to launch a central bank currency and a pioneer in the regulation of digital assets. Mr. Davis said other countries can mirror the success of The Bahamas. He said, “we rejected the view the small states must wait on global consensus before acting. We proved that we can lead on our own terms, for our own people. This is what effective digital policy looks like, acting rooted in equity grounded in law and aimed at building real opportunity. But isolated success is not enough because if some countries lead while other lag we won’t become a region of progress, we’ll become a region divided.”

Prime Minister Davis also participated in a ribbon cutting official opening the 40th anniversary of the CANTO Conference.