The Prime Minister yesterday said he was targeting a ‘top 50’ ranking for the Bahamas in the World Bank’s ‘ease of doing business’ index within five years, arguing that its current 106th spot does not reflect its capabilities and potential.

Mr Christie, in opening remarks at a seminar on  innovation, transparency and service delivery hosted by the

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in conjunction with the National Development Plan Secretariat, said this nation’s current ‘ease of doing business’ ranking is “not acceptable”.

“The 106th place on the World Bank’s Index of doing business is not acceptable for the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” he charged.

“It doesn’t not reflect our potential and capabilities. It doesn’t reflect our years of experience as a world class financial centre, nor our first mover status in the areas of tourism and port development.

“In five years, let us try to move to the top 50 countries; that is the target. This means our reforms will be bold, our resolve must be strong and our internal evaluation of ourselves brutally honest.”

Mr Christie yesterday issued the ‘30-day challenge’ to government department heads, calling on them to come up with innovative ways to improve service delivery.

He stressed that there must be a transformation of the business climate in the country. “For far too long we have been too complacent,” Mr Christie said.

“While there have been important changes over the decades, we have not as a country made a collaborative and concerted effort to change the Bahamian business environment and we are paying heavily for that now.”     

He continued: “Our business environment, unfortunately, is know for its red tape and bureaucracy. Our agencies are too often likely to say come back another day, than offer advice on how to achieve the desired outcome.

“We must continue to change this negative reality if we are to exist as a vibrant service economy, and if our Bahamian-owned businesses are to flourish. There must be clarity in our rules, certainty  in our application and a zero-tolerance  for graft and corruption.”