GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), the Hon. Charles Washington Misick, hosted the TCI Diaspora residing in Grand Bahama to a cocktail reception in the Ballroom of the Grand Lucayan resort on Saturday, February 18, 2023.

Premier Misick led a delegation to Grand Bahama to share with the diaspora the plans his government has for the forward development of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the public and private sectors, which include networking and the return of TCI descendants.

With TCI now at a unique place in its history, the goal is to drive home to the diaspora the point that it can be even more prosperous with more Turks and Caicos islanders at the forefront.

Premier Misick, while addressing the capacity crowd, revealed that TCI is perhaps growing the fastest small economy in the region, with over $1 billion worth of new investments in the pipeline and more than 400 vacancies in the public service alone.

“Turks and Caicos is growing. Turks and Caicos Islanders are outnumbered by people from all over the world, all over the Caribbean. Our neighbours to the south of us, and so we are facing an existential marginalization of our franchise,” he said.

“So it’s critical that we are in, I want to call it the decade of the return. I know some of you have deep roots, but I also know there are a lot of very bright, young people living in The Bahamas of Turks and Caicos offspring. And when we speak about the diaspora, we don’t just speak about The Bahamas. But of course, most of our diaspora lives in The Bahamas.”

That, Premier Misick further revealed, is the impetus for his government moving forward with plans to set up an office in New Providence and Grand Bahama in the next four to six weeks.

On February 8, 2023, the TCI Cabinet appointed two liaisons for The Bahamas to head both offices.

Canon Curtis Robinson has been appointed to head the office in Grand Bahama that will be designed to assist with governmental services and other queries.

Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey in her welcome addres, boasted of the special, unbreakable bond that exists between The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos.

“The origin of this bond is well documented historically, but the evidence of it can be found in the DNA of generations of Bahamians whose ancestral heritage straddles the two island nations,” she said.

“On the island of Grand Bahama, the plan to develop and establish our nation’s second city would not have been possible without the contributions of the many Turks Islanders who were recruited to join the workforce, which was spearheaded by the architects of the City of Freeport.”

Minister Moxey pointed out that those men and women relocated their families from Turks and Caicos to begin a new life in The Bahamas.

“They were hardworking and enterprising, building strong communities on Grand Bahama that still exist today, which were steeped in their Turks Island heritage and traditions,” she said.

“This evening’s reception in honour of the Turks and Caicos Island Diaspora honours the legacy of the Turks Islanders who laboured beside Bahamians to build Freeport and the countless others who contributed their efforts to the development of islands throughout The Bahamas.”
 

Those individuals, she noted, were the catalysts for many significant developments and left an indelible mark on the history of The Bahamas.

Premier Misick’s delegation included his wife, Mrs. Delthia Russell Missick; Her Excellency Anya Williams, Deputy Governor and Head of the Public Service; Althea Malcolm-Been, Permanent Secretary for Immigration and Border Services; and Miguel Swann, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Premier and Public Policy.