Following an exchange of words between the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) chairman and the Opposition Leader who blasted the government for not meeting its September 1 deadline for the opening of The Bahamas Agriculture Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), Agriculture Minister Alfred Grey maintains that the institute will be up and running at the end of this month.
Mr. Grey said that he was not aware of a September 1 opening date as the government promised that the institute will be in operation during the fall of this year.
Mr. Grey assures that there was no delay.
“It’s being open on September 29, I don’t consider that a delay because logistical things had to be in place, staff had to be recruited, I think it’s going to open on time, that to me is on time as any other date which had been set previously,” he said.
He did admit however, that the site at BAMSI will not be quite ready for the opening date and assures that this will not hinder the quality of education for the first 50 students expected to join the institute this year.
Mr. Grey said that those students will be placed at alternative locations in the meantime.
Now as for the leadership of BAMSI, during a press conference on Wednesday, Minister Grey along with Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald announced BAMSI’s new executive director.
Mr. Grey said that Raveenia Roberts Hanna is fully equipped for the job and he looks forward to working with her.
Ms. Roberts Hanna said that she is excited for the task at hand and the country moving forward.
“For too long people have been complaining that we’re surrounded by water, we have all this unused land and not tapping into that potential and now we’re given an opportunity to actually do so,” she said.
“We’re really going to raise the level of awareness, skill labour and enthusiasm for agriculture and fisheries and really take it to the level where it should be.”
Ground was broken on the site in North Andros in November of last year, and since then millions of dollars was poured into the project.
The government is looking to institute to head agricultural research and lead the country towards producing its own food, expanding exports, educating Bahamians and generating revenue for the country.
