By ANNELIA NIXON

anixon@tribunemedia.net

The ‘Made in The Bahamas’ trademark certification was launched yesterday in a bid to “drive and promote” local goods and services both domestically and in overseas markets.

The Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality unveiled the certification during a panel discussion on developing a framework to safely and efficiently implement artificial intelligence (AI). “It’s a wonderful initiative to really drive and promote Bahamian businesses, products, services, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and even the micros,” said Dr Renae Ferguson-Bufford, the Bureau’s director.

“So the job here is to promote quality. Quality of our goods and services. And we know that we are actually creating them every day, manufacturing them. So this is a way to showcase and highlight the work that we are actually doing in this country with our SMEs. 

“There are some businesses that actually are being driven by AI. And so the World Standards Day theme was innovation, industry, etc through artificial intelligence. So many of our companies and many Bahamians may not even know of the products and services that actually Bahamians are producing. So, yes, all of it ties into one another,” she added.

“And we are just actually going on November 14 [to hold a Town Meeting] so that we can actually showcase and highlight those Bahamian products, those Bahamian businesses that many may not even know. It’s just the beginning. So it’s a Town Hall meeting where we’re coming together. We’re going to talk about what we’re getting ready to do in promoting Bahamians. And we want Bahamians to come out and give their input.

“So it’s stakeholder consultation. It’s an engagement with the minister. Hopefully the Prime Minister can be there, council would be there and all of the stakeholders, all the manufacturers that actually do the work. We’re just there to actually promote it. And the key word is quality. Showcasing the quality of the work they’re doing and ensuring that the specifications, the raw materials, etc, the handicraft of stuff that goes into it.”

The Town Hall meeting will be held on 5.30 pm on November 14 at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church Activities Centre. The Bureau said the meeting will provide an opportunity to connect with and support Bahamian entrepreneurs, and attendees can learn how the certification “can boost our economy”.

The certification was unveiled during a panel discussion involving Duran Humes, chief executive of Plato Alpha Design; Onasis Nottage, co-founder and managing director of RSLT Lab; and Hussain Hadi, head of publishing at the International Organisation for Standardisation. All spoke on innovative ways AI could be used and how dangerous it can be.