Prime Minister Perry Christie assured members of the business community that the country’s sluggish economy would receive a tremendous boost this year and he also promised that thousands of new jobs would be created.

Mr. Christie’s comments came as he addressed The Bahamas Business Outlook (BBO) yesterday at the Melia Cable Beach Hotel.

The prime minister told delegates at the annual conference that as the economies of the United States and other developed nations begin to improve, The Bahamas’ economic prospects will also improve; therefore, he projected thousands of new jobs.

Mr. Christie said with development projects underway across the country, both the tourism sector and the overall economy of The Bahamas will receive a much needed boost.

“I am pleased to report that through a combination of fiscal prudence and other initiatives, some of which I will outline today, The Bahamas, barring any unforeseen adverse circumstances which might arise, is poised for sustained economic growth in 2014 and in the remaining years of my government’s term in office,” Mr. Christie told the conference.

“These focused and broad initiatives are aimed at impacting the country as a whole, including New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands.”

The prime minister also said the number of visitors to the country will increase due to additional non-stop flights from several American and Canadian cities.

Grand Bahama, Mr. Christie boasted, is already seeing an economic boom.

“As it relates to Grand Bahama, I can report that we are confident that we have not only arrested the island’s tourism decline as we promised, we would have placed it on what will be sustainable growth path,” he said.

Mr. Christie highlighted a number of initiatives being implemented by his government that he said would buttress and grow the economy.

Among those initiatives is energy reform which he said will significantly drive down the cost of electricity and secure a steady supply for all consumers.

He also said the government is looking to complete negotiations with Cable and Wireless (CWC) with regards to additional shares in BTC and further liberalisation and introduction of competition in the telecommunications sector.

Further, the prime minister reiterated his government’s plans to introduce modernised casino legislation to put The Bahamas on par with other leading casino jurisdictions.

Mr. Christie also said that the government is working to ensure that the country’s potential workforce is adequately trained for the thousands of jobs expected to come on stream in the coming months.