Business View Caribbean - July 2016 13
of Institutional Capacity of the State, along with rep-
resentatives from the Office of the Presidency of
Colombia, highlighted best practices and interna-
tional standards in the area of transparency and ser-
vice delivery, including concrete examples of activi-
ties from the region and globally financed by IDB’s
Transparency Fund.
The event sparked a high-level conversation with key
Bahamian government officials to identify new ave-
nues and innovative approaches that will help guide
the implementation of important commitments in-
cluded in the national development plan.
The seminar called for continued
action with respect to broaden-
ing and deepening the interactions
between the government, private
sector firms, and citizens. Useful
takeaways at the seminar included
the following:
• In the digital age, a more ac-
tive, informed citizen is demand-
ing greater government openness
and participation. Implementing a
Freedom of Information Act for The
Bahamas is the first step towards
this goal, but this step needs to be
accompanied with enhanced insti-
tutional capacity.
• It is also essential to promote in-
novation and effective cooperation
between governments and citizens
as well as among and within public
agencies, as a means to improve
public policies.
• Finally, it is crucial for The Baha-
mas to streamline the bureaucra-
tization of procedures, not only to
eliminate opportunities for corrup-
tion, but also for citizens to receive quality services
in a timely manner.
Florencia Attademo-Hirt, the IDB country represen-
tative for The Bahamas, gave an overview of IDB’s
support to this agenda and emphasized that the na-
tional development plan is nearing completion, but
the work to implement key governance reforms is
ongoing. This event signals a commitment to en-
sure that change happens. Only a well-managed
government will improve the conditions for develop-
ment planning, transparency and better results for
all Bahamian citizens.
