The Tribune

By Neil Hartnell

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Opposition’s chairman yesterday asserted that the Government is acting as if it is “completely unleashed” over spending taxpayer monies as he challenged how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ $34m plan for a new Nassau head office and London upgrades will benefit ordinary citizens.

Dr Duane Sands, responding to Tribune Business revelations on the strategy set out in the ministry’s just-disclosed 2026-2027 annual plan, questioned why it was proposing such expenditure when critical public services such as healthcare are struggling for financing. 

Describing the plan’s contents as unsurprising, he said: “I think they are now completely unleashed; I could go so far as to say unhinged. They idea they have an overwhelming mandate to spend away the people’s money is clearly what they intend on doing.

“You’re spending $14m on the London Chancery (Bahamas High Commission building), but cannot find the money for ambulances and fire trucks, you cannot find the money to build a shelter for women, you cannot find the money to do things that benefit the lives of ordinary Bahamians, but yet you want to live a life of luxury on the backs of the Bahamian people?

“When you go from ministry to ministry, this is Animal Farm Bahamas-style. I commend that book to everyone who is watching, reading and listening to what’s happening in our country right now. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” Dr Sands blasted.

“Because that’s the only way you can describe it. They are spending the $4bn-something in revenue that they claim they are going to get, and they are going to extract it from the pockets of the people they think have it, and to hell with you if you complain.” 

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ annual plan made clear that both its Nassau and London spending and expansion ambitions are medium-term objectives rather than projects that will be undertaken in the upcoming 2026-2027 fiscal year. 

Nevertheless, the report made clear that “plans are being developed” for both, with the multi-million dollar outlay of taxpayer funds justified on the basis that they will “improve the quality of service”.

The spending proposals have emerged despite the annual plan signalling that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may need to cut back in some areas. One of the near-term targets, as detailed in its 2026-2027 annual plan, is to this year eliminate overruns on conference and event expenditure following a “more than $500,000 overspend” in this current fiscal year.

And Fred Mitchell, minister of foreign affairs, revealed that he and the Government have not given up on ambitions to construct a new Parliament building - a project for which a price tag and cost were not revealed.  

“With the looming May 12, 2026, national elections government is also cognisant of the need to continue to deepen our commitment to democracy,” the minister wrote in an annual plan dated April 30, 2026, as justification for the project.

“As such, plans are underway to construct a new, modern Parliament building providing greater access and efficiency to the legislative arm of government.” 

However, questions are likely to arise over the extent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ medium and long-term spending goals given The Bahamas’ $12.8bn national debt and the projected $75.5m Budget surplus for the 2025-2026 fiscal period has yet to be confirmed.

“To improve the quality of the service of the ministry, plans are being developed to complete renovations of the Chancery in London (The Bahamas High Commission) estimated at $14m, and construct a new Ministry of Foreign Affairs building estimated at $20m and two protocol houses constructed via public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements over the medium to long-term,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs annual plan stated.

No mention was made as to the identity of the likely PPP partners or where the protocol houses and proposed Ministry of Foreign Affairs building will be located. The ministry is presently located in the Goodman’s Bay Corporate Centre on West Bay Street, where it is renting space from Goodman’s Bay Development Corporation, an entity owned by BISX-listed Colina Holdings (Bahamas).

Further upgrades to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ physical network involve additional passport locations and consulate general offices.

“To ensure citizens across The Bahamas have comparable levels of access to services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, particularly passport services, a concerted effort has been made in recent years to ensure passport services are available within a few miles to every citizen to avoid placing an additional cost constraint on persons dwelling far from headquarters,” its annual report said.

With 20 such sites now in existence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added: “The new, modern facility housing both the Passport Office and Consular Division is soon to open in New Providence.

 Customers can expect an enhanced visitor experience and improved operations. New passport office locations are planned for Mangrove Cay, Andros, and Mayaguana for launch over the medium-term.”

The ministry’s 2026-2027 annual plan also disclosed that it plans to expand The Bahamas’ global network of consulate generals to nine through the opening of such an office in Halifax, Nova Scotia, “in the short term”. 

It added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ physical plant is currently impacted by “space constraints” at certain locations, the “uneven condition” of office furniture and a “backlog of requests for laptops and other devices”.