By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A former Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) president says the country must explore transforming itself into an exporter of pre-cast concrete products, and urged: “We have nothing to lose.”

Leonard Sands, pictured, in a recent interview, told Tribune Business the abundance of sand - which he said makes up 80 percent of all concrete products - presented an opportunity for The Bahamas to increase construction industry returns by transforming the sector into a producer as a opposed to a service-driven venture.

Acknowledging he had not conducted any empirical studies to assess whether it was viable for The Bahamas to become a major concrete product exporter, he argued that it was “worth the investigation and discussion” as the country seeks to rebuild and diversify its COVID-devastated economy.

“It’s my view that we are not really appreciating the vast potential the Commonwealth of The Bahamas has to really impact its gross domestic product (GDP) by being more of a producer in the area of construction products,” Mr Sands told this newspaper.

“Right now, what we have been doing for the last 40 years has been a service-driven construction industry. That’s where some person comes to the country, presents plans and we build using our resources and people. 

“Recognising there’s a huge value to sand used in construction products, and the way construction is going to pre-cast concrete products, there are hundreds of such products. The list is almost non-exhaustive; there are hundreds of such products used in large construction projects where the main ingredient is sand,” Mr Sands continued

“We have not realised the opportunity to use that resource we have in abundance, and in an inexhaustible supply. We have to look at how to shift our position from being a purveyor of services to one where we produce and supply the products that are used across the world.

“We have got a decent yield from the services side, and going to supply could double what we yield from service. The numbers we see in that industry could be doubled in terms of jobs. If we want to look at how to jump-start our economy after COVID-19, take advantage of our abundance of sand. We need to have a conversation about how to exploit that.”

Mr Sands suggested that Grand Bahama-based Gold Rock, which manufactures and distributes concrete products including underground utility structures, pre-cast slabs, septic tanks and stepping stones around The Bahamas, was a model for what he believes this nation could achieve on a much larger international scale.

“Add sand to the aggregate, and they’re supplying products worth tens of thousands of dollars where the major building component is free. That sand is 80 percent of what the product is made from,” he added. “They’re showing how business is done, and creating employment and economic impact.

“I do not hear much discussion around it, but the opportunity should be explored. I think there’s a real opportunity there.” However, converting Bahamian construction into a production-based industry as opposed to its current model will be a far from easy task.

It would require significant multi-million dollar investment, and take some years to pull-off. Logistics and shipping would also have to be figured out, and it is as yet unclear as to whether The Bahamas could be cost competitive in a concrete product export industry despite its abundance of sand.

Yet Mr Sands argued that Bahamian sand, which would just need to be washed and processed as it is now for local use, had multiple uses beyond concrete products. “There are hundreds if not thousands of products that require sand in some form, whether processed or not, such as glass,” he added. “You tell me me we don’t have something to export. We do.

“We have not found a way to monetise it, and that’s our fault. I maintain my view we find a way to monetise it and get returns from the natural resources we have. That’s sand. We have an infinite amount of sand, and to me that’s a wonderful thing to export if we have the desire and effort to do so.”

“We have absolutely nothing to lose by exploring it,” Mr Sands told Tribune Business. “We are one of the shipping hubs of the world. We have that part figured out. We are ideally suited to enter this game, and be a dominant player. We can’t lose anything by trying, and I think we ought to give it a shot

“This is a good opportunity to do something different, to try something new. Let’s give it a go. Let’s see what the marketplace and powers that be have to say about this opportunity. I’m not the one to say how that works, but it’s worth the discussion and investigation. The Economic Recovery Committee needs to take a shot and look at it. There is very little to lose by investigating it, so I think I would take a shot at it.”