The Government to Create Systems to Prevent “Technology Silos” that Hinder Ease of Doing Business

NASSAU, The Bahamas - The Minister of Innovation and National Development the Hon. Sebastian Bastian said that if the Government is serious about the ease of doing business in The Bahamas, it cannot keep building technology silos.

"Let me be clear about the difference between digitization and transformation. We could install the finest system in the world inside a single ministry - but if an approval, a permit, a licence, or an application still depends on information from another ministry whose systems cannot speak to it, we will have done little more than modernize yesterday's inefficiencies.

"That is why interoperability (the ability of different systems, devices, applications, or products to connect, communicate, and work together seamlessly) is central to our modernization strategy," Minister Bastian said during his Contribution to the 2026/2027 Budget Debate in the House of Assembly on Monday, June 15, 2026.

He explained that Government systems must be designed to communicate securely, share information where appropriate, and support a seamless experience for citizens, businesses, and investors.

"To that end, the Government will look at advancing a policy framework that holds future systems to common interoperability standards - so they connect and work together from the start. And we will pay closer attention to procurement and data governance, so that what we build today does not become the barrier of tomorrow."

The Minister said at the heart of this connected government, will be a secure national ID card.

"Today, proving who you are to your own government too often means carrying a stack of documents from one office to the next - verifying yourself, over and over again. A national ID card changes that: one trusted, secure credential that lets a Bahamian access services, sign documents, and receive what they are owed - simply, and safely.

"Less time in line. Stronger protection against fraud. A government that recognizes you wherever you go. We will build it carefully, with privacy and security at its core - because a credential this important must earn the public's trust."

He also noted that this Government Administration will protect the nation's sovereignty. The information this government holds about Bahamians belongs to The Bahamas - full stop.

The Minister added that while the Government will license the best technology the world has to offer, it will never be captive to it.

"Where we can build it ourselves, we will. And where we license it, we will make sure Bahamians are trained to run it, maintain it, and support it - so the capability stays here, in Bahamian hands, because a nation that cannot run, understand, or sustain its own systems is not truly independent. Some call that digital colonialism. I call it a national security risk we cannot accept."

He said, "This is how we build a modern government: smarter systems, connected to one another, under our control, and built around the people they serve."

(BIS Photo/Ulric Woodside)