The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN-DEVELOPED platform designed to make local legal information more accessible has been selected to represent this nation at the 2026 World Summit Awards, potentially opening new opportunities for international partnerships and regional expansion.

LawBey, a free digital platform developed under the Kemis Group of Companies, has been named the country's national nominee in the Government and Citizen Engagement category, marking what founder Kenneth Moncur described as the first time a Bahamian solution has received a nomination at the international awards.

The nomination provides international exposure for the locally-developed technology, while highlighting opportunities for Bahamian businesses to develop digital solutions that address domestic needs and compete in the global technology market.

Mr Moncur, founder of LawBey and group director of Kemis Group of Companies, said the platform was identified by Emeka Farrier, a previous awards winner and World Summit Awards national expert for The Bahamas, who subsequently conducted a detailed assessment of its operations and impact.

“They've been doing it for about 25 years, and he reached out to me about LawBey and I submitted all the information needed, and he nominated us to represent The Bahamas,” Mr Moncur said.

LawBey helps users navigate more than 300 Bahamian statute laws, allowing them to ask questions in simple language and receive educational responses supported by relevant legal sources.

The platform covers laws including employment, landlord and tenant matters, family law, child support and business formation. Its public access service is free, with the company aiming to reduce the difficulty ordinary Bahamians face when locating and understanding legislation.

Mr Moncur said the platform had already attracted more than 800 registered users since launching on September 3, 2025. Information submitted during the national selection process showed 825 registered accounts and 1,628 chat threads as of September 16, 2026.

He said the nomination was evidence that Bahamian technology developers have the expertise to produce solutions capable of competing internationally, rather than relying predominantly on software developed overseas.

“They think of us as just small,” Mr Moncur said. “And even a lot of Bahamians here, we use a lot of software and technology that's from outside the country.

“So what I'm trying to do, especially, is show everybody here and builders alike, 'Hey, it's time you start building things with more intention that could actually serve the Bahamian people, and we could actually be recognised on a global scale, and probably even scale into the Caribbean.”

The World Summit Awards, which has existed since 2003, recognises digital solutions delivering meaningful local and social impact. LawBey will compete in the Government and Citizen Engagement category, which encompasses digital public services, open data and democratic participation.

Each participating country can nominate a maximum of one solution in each of the awards' eight categories, with five international winners selected per category, producing 40 winners overall.

Mr Moncur said the nomination followed an evidence-based review that included platform usage figures, examples of beneficiaries, citation testing, privacy and data retention information, media references and access to the live product.

Kemis Group is now preparing its full international submission, which will outline the platform's innovation, business model, local impact and contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The international jury is expected to review submissions during October and November, with winners anticipated to be announced around the beginning of 2027.

Mr Moncur said the nomination could create opportunities for LawBey to establish relationships with international digital innovators, public sector leaders, social impact organisations and potential partners. He added that international recognition could also strengthen discussions locally about the role homegrown technology companies could play in The Bahamas’ wider digital transformation.

Looking ahead, Mr Moncur wants LawBey to become a trusted digital access point for Bahamian legal information, eventually expanding its coverage to include court judgments, public procedures and additional legal resources.

Although its public access service will remain free, he said the longer-term business model could include professional services for law firms, businesses, researchers and institutions to help finance the platform's maintenance and expansion.

He also sees potential to extend the technology beyond The Bahamas by developing a wider Caribbean legal information network, given the challenges other regional jurisdictions face in making legislation accessible to the public.

“The long-term vision is not to replace attorneys,” he said. “It is to give citizens a better starting point, help professionals work more efficiently and make legal information part of the region's digital public infrastructure.”

Mr Moncur emphasised that LawBey is an educational resource, and does not provide legal representation or replace professional legal advice, but is intended to help users better understand their circumstances before approaching an attorney, the Labour Board, the courts or another public agency.

For the Kemis Group, the nomination represents an opportunity to demonstrate that Bahamian-owned technology businesses can develop commercially sustainable solutions while addressing national challenges, with the potential to expand into international markets.