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Thursday, July 23, 2026
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revenue ‘Urgent needs’ for $300m 40% loss, job termination sewerage improvements BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas has “urgent needs” for up to $300m worth of investments to upgrade failing sewerage and wastewater sanitation systems nationwide, it has been revealed, amid fears that waste systems are “fragmented and environmentally unsustainable”. The concerns, and scale of financing required, are unveiled in an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report attached to a $500,000 project that aims to produce separate 25-year “master plans” to govern both the treatment, management and infrastructure development for both solid waste (landfills) and wastewater.
New Providence alone needs $200m sanitation upgrades Solid and wastewater systems ‘fragmented, unsustainable’ IDB project to prepare 25-year master plans for each sector The project, which has just been approved for implementation, is designed to close “The Bahamas’ infrastructure gaps” in both areas by shifting “from fragmented interventions to a more comprehensive and strategic approach” guided by the two plans that are intended to act as road maps for
improved services, sustainable investment and greater environmental protection. Noting that required sanitation and sewerage improvements have been pegged as approaching $300m alone, the IDB report said: “In The Bahamas, wastewater services are severely underdeveloped, with only about 10 percent of the population
in New Providence and 17.7 percent in Grand Bahama connected to piped sewerage systems, leaving the overwhelming majority dependent on aging and often poorly functioning septic tanks that contribute to groundwater contamination. “The country faces frequent failures of wastewater lift stations, leading to service disruptions, sewer overflows and significant public health and environmental risks. Infrastructure is deteriorated due to decades of insufficient maintenance and under-investment, while regulatory and governance frameworks remain fragmented and outdated, limiting accountability and the ability to enforce standards.
INVESTMENT - See Page B5
a $64m deficit for the current fiscal year, as opposed to the Davis administration’s predicted $223.1m surplus, is “more consistent with the realities on the ground” such as the recent temporary suspension of health insurance cover for the security services by Colina. And, with Fitch projecting the Government’s $1.024bn borrowing for 2026-2027 “may ultimately be higher than forecast” and global oil prices again hitting over $94 per barrel at press time last night, he warned that these impacts could result in reduced spending on critical public services
Ingraham: Green Turtle Cay project needs ‘deeper dive’ BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net HUBERT Ingraham yesterday urged regulators to require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and further public consultation over a controversial Green Turtle Cay project, asserting that it needs “a deeper dive” given that the proposal appears “excessive” for the intended location. The former prime minister, who for decades represented North Abaco and Green Turtle Cay in the House of Assembly, told Tribune Business that “the least that ought to happen” is an EIA be conducted and “made public”
HUBERT INGRAHAM so that residents and other stakeholders can provide comment and feedback before Reginald Curry’s Gillam Bay development is cleared to succeed. Speaking after it emerged that all five members of the Green Turtle Cay District
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Gov’t cuts unpaid Doctors Hospital bills almost $20m BY FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net UNPAID medical bills owed by the Government to Doctors Hospital have decreased by more than $20m since the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening its balance sheet as increased patient volumes and expanding clinical services produced stronger 2027 first quarter results. Dennis Deveaux, the BISX-listed healthcare provider’s chief executive, said receivables owed by the Government, which once
peaked at $29m, have now fallen to well below $10m, reflecting what he described as a healthier working relationship and more consistent payments. "We have seen meaningful improvements in our receivable position with the Government coming out of COVID. At one point, our receivables with the Government stood at $29m. Through our financial statements, we will disclose that that number is now well below $10m and, if you exclude the Kidney Centre,
MEDICAL - See Page B10
Neal Watson accuses rival of ‘bullying’ tactics to ‘hog’ cruise business But Bimini Blue hits back by charging dock agreement was violated And asserts Biminin Scuba lacked authorisation to use alternative slip BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
SENATOR LATRAE RAHMING
DR DUANE SANDS
- health, education and social welfare system. However, the Government cited the positives in Fitch’s assessment of its annual borrowing plan. The rating agency conceded that The Bahamas’ fiscal recovery and consolidation process has outperformed international and market expectations in recent years, and hailed the “strong governance” that is “underpinning recent progress on structural fiscal consolidation”.
“External observers have under-estimated the strength and effectiveness of the Government’s fiscal approach in the past,” Senator Latrae Rahming, the Prime Minister’s communications director, said in response to this newspaper’s inquiries. “We remain confident in our fiscal strategy, and in achieving the outcomes foreshadowed in our budgetary projections, supported by the Government’s ongoing
A BIMINI dive and water tours operator yesterday revealed it fears losing up to 40 percent of monthly revenues, and having to terminate staff, amid a dispute with a rival over dock access that is critical for picking up tourists. Neal Watson, principal of Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Centre, accused Bimini Blue Adventures of employing “bullying” tactics in a bid to “hog” all the island’s cruise passenger-related water activities business by both restricting access to its own docking facilities as well as slips located 100 yards away in the Fisherman’s Village area. He told Tribune Business that he was forced to cancel yesterday’s afternoon tour schedule for Royal Caribbean passengers, and will likely have to do this again “in the future”, after dock masters and management intervened to prevent him from operating from the Fisherman’s Village docks. This was despite Bimini Scuba Centre having been given written authorisation to use one of the slips by its private owner. Mr Watson asserted that Bimini Blue Adventures is using anti-competitive and unfair practices to “hurt” its business, which he alleged started after Bimini Scuba Centre secured tour contracts with Royal Caribbean and its high-end Celebrity Cruises affiliate. This brought it into direct competition with its
FORECAST - See Page B7
BATTLE - See Page B6
‘Emperor has no clothes’: $64m deficit sparks battle File pics of, and Michael Pintard Neil Hartnell Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia. net The Government yesterday asserted its fiscal progress is again being “under-estimated” as the Opposition argued that Fitch’s projection of a “$287m” hole in its 2026-2027 Budget forecasts exposes that “the emperor has no clothes”. Dr Duane Sands, the Free National Movement’s (FNM) chairman, told Tribune Business that the credit rating’s assessment and forecast that the Government will incur
fear on Bimini operators dock access dispute