By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration has pledged to introduce a Bahamas National Development Plan bill in the House of Assembly, potentially bringing the country closer to finishing a process that began under the last Christie administration.

“By putting the National Development Plan on a statutory footing, my government seeks to ensure that the next 50 years of our national life will have a firm strategic underpinning and focus,” Governor General Cynthia “Mother” Pratt said during yesterday’s Speech from the Throne.

Before the 2017 general election, the Christie administration planned to pass a National Development Plan Bill. That administration believed the NDP would be a groundbreaking document that would occupy a central role in the nation’s development, providing future administrations, civil society and businesses with a blueprint for the future.

The plan was to be accompanied by accountability mechanisms, with the University of The Bahamas expected to release ritual reports highlighting whether milestones were met.

A comprehensive 491-page draft of the NDP was released in December 2016.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis announced that the government reappointed the National Development Plan (NDP) committee.

“We have included civil society, the business community, labour and religious leadership on the committee. Additionally, the government will appoint a secretariat to support the implementation of the work,” he said.

“We already have an initial draft of legislation that will create the framework for implementation. We eagerly look forward to having a completed and updated National Development Plan and implementation plan along with supporting legislation tabled for debate in Parliament.”

“In our prior administration, we spent years consulting with Bahamians from every walk of life to create the National Development Plan, a foundational and comprehensive long-term plan for the country’s development and prosperity. We specifically promised that we would relaunch, complete and legislate the National Development Plan. We intend to deliver on that promise.”