“The work before us is bigger than politics. It is about nation building. It is about ensuring that a child growing up in Rock Sound, Murphy Town, Bullocks Harbour or Staniel Cay has the same opportunity to thrive as a child growing up anywhere else in the country,” said the Hon. Clay Sweeting, Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs, while making his contribution to the 2026/2027 Budget Debate in the House of Assembly.
The people of the Family Islands deserve more than promises, Minister Sweeting said. They deserve results. They deserve modern infrastructure. “They deserve reliable roads, resilient communities and economic opportunities that are not confined to New Providence.”
“They deserve to see the success of The Bahamas reflected not only in our capital, but on every island, every settlement, every rock and every Cay,” said Minister Sweeting.
“Because the Family Islands cannot wait. Because the nation’s capital cannot wait. Because the people deserve nothing less, said Minister Sweeting. And because the future of The Bahamas must reach every island, every rock and every Cay.”
Within his contribution to the Budget Debate, Minister Sawyer noted his ministry has embarked upon the most ambitious digital transformation programme in its history to modernize operations, improve transparency, and deliver faster service.
He encouraged Bahamians to stay connected by joining the ministry’s WhatsApp Channel to find episodes of “In the Works”, tracking progress.
The Budget, he said, continues one of the most aggressive road, drainage, and transportation infrastructure programmes undertaken in recent history, and that safety remains at the heart of the New Providence Road Improvement Project.
Under ‘Building Communities Through Modern Public Infrastructure,’ he said “the Architectural Section of the Ministry continues to design, renovate and construct public facilities that improve service delivery and strengthen and enhance communities.”
Minister Sweeting said the administration has moved beyond the traditional model for Government alone to fund every project, and “through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) we are accelerating development across the country.”
Mentioning Seawalls: Minister Sweeting said “as climate change continues to impact vulnerable communities, this administration remains committed to investing in resilient infrastructure that protects lives, homes and public assets.” Construction is scheduled to commence in Mangrove Cay, Andros, on the Burnt Rock Seawall Project; and plans are advancing for the reconstruction of the seawall system in High Rock, Grand Bahama, which was devastated by Hurricane Dorian.
Minister Sweeting said he was pleased to report the procurement process for the new Glass Window Bridge in Eleuthera has now been successfully concluded with Island Site Development Ltd. identified as the preferred contractor following a comprehensive technical and commercial evaluation process.
He noted, “for an archipelagic nation such as ours, maritime infrastructure is not a luxury but a necessity. Our docks, seawalls, and bridges are the lifelines that connect communities, support fishermen, facilitate commerce and strengthen local economies.”
Under Local Government, which celebrates 30 years of local governance, Minister Sweeting paused to honour the visionaries, administrators, council members and public servants “whose dedication has strengthened local governance and improved the quality of life throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”
He stated, “I am confident that the mandate of my ministry remains clear, absolute and monumental: we are the custodians of the physical blueprint of this nation.
“From the paved corridors of New Providence to the critical docks, sea walls, airports and government institutions and structures across our 700 islands and cays, Minister Sweeting said, “we bear the responsibility for all infrastructure works undertaken.”
