[xml][/xml]
The Bahamas Weekly Facebook The Bahamas Weekly Twitter
News : Bahamas Information Services Updates Last Updated: May 8, 2018 - 8:02:42 PM


Prime Minister Opens PMDU to Monitor Government’s Services to Community
By Lindsay Thompson
May 8, 2018 - 5:51:59 PM

Email this article
 Mobile friendly page

DSC_5934.jpg
Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Viana Gardiner conducts a tour of the new unit at the Office of the Prime Minister, May 8, 2018. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)

NASSAU, The Bahamas – In keeping with its commitment to improving the quality of services to the community at large, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Hubert Minnis officially opened the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit to do just that.

The launch ceremony was held Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at the Office of the Prime Minister.  On hand for the historic occasion were Cabinet Ministers, other government officials, representatives from Canada which utilizes a similar concept, and representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank.

The Prime Minister formally welcomed the Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canada’s Minister of International Development and members of her delegation to The Bahamas.  He also thanked Mrs. Florencia Attademo-Hirt, the IDB Country Representative in The Bahamas, for the bank’s support.

DSC_5947_1_.jpg
Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Viana Gardiner conducts a tour of the new unit at the Office of the Prime Minister, May 8, 2018. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)

The project is as a result of an IDB Public Financial Management and Performance Monitoring Reform Loan to The Bahamas, which is to increase the government’s capacity to monitor and implement key projects through performance management.

In this vein, the government has determined to establish a Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (PMDU) in the Office of the Prime Minister.  Mrs. Viana Gardiner is the Chief Operating Officer and will have a staff of about 12.  It will be supported by a state-of-the-art information, communications and technology system to facilitate the collection, collation and analysis of data.

The Government has identified six Key Priorities to be the initial focus of the work of the PMDU.

These include: focus on the Over-the-Hill Rejuvenation Project; Land Reform; Energy Reform and Infrastructure; Ease of Doing Business; Education; and Safety and Security.

The establishment of the PMDU is the tool the government has determined to use to implement this objective.

He noted that as his government commences this journey, Canada’s participation in the launch and sharing of its approach to results and delivery, is viewed as an act of friendship and cooperation.

“My government has committed to improving service delivery, accountability and quality of life for our citizens and residents of our beautiful Bahamaland,” the Prime Minister said.

“To achieve this, deliberate and strategic steps, must be taken to ascertain the needs of Bahamian citizens and the trends of key indicators affecting their everyday lives.”  

DSC_7594.jpg
Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert Minnis addresses the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit Launch press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, May 8, 2018. Also seated at the table, from left: Minister of Health Duane Sands, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Carl Bethel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest, IDB Country Representative Florencia Attademo-Hirt, Canada’s Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau, and Chief Operating Officer/PMDU Viana Gardiner. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)

He said that this information must be critically analysed and utilised by decision makers.  Moreover, his government  believes that a management mechanism must also be established that underscores accountability, transparency, and results delivery throughout The Bahamas. 

“Today, with the launch of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, we are one step closer to achieving, or enhancing, our collective performance in respect of all of these objectives,” he stressed.

The PMDU will follow international best practices seen in the UK and Canada in delivering meaningful and long-lasting results to its citizens.

“We are fortunate to have Delivery Associates, the firm subsequently formed by Sir Michael (in the UK), assisting us in setting up the PMDU,” Prime Minister Minnis said.  

“We are also pleased to be partnering in this initiative with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).  The IDB has made available to The Bahamas the Public Financial Management and Performance Monitoring Reform Loan Facility,” he noted.

One of the key objectives of this facility is to assist The Bahamas in increasing its capacity to monitor and implement its key priorities through performance management.

The Prime Minister commended the work of personnel within the Project Implementation Unit of the IDB and Ministry of Finance, who have advanced this project to date. 

At the heart of The Bahamas model is data collection and analysis.  Provisions have been made under the loan facility to develop a state of the art Information and Communications Technology system to underpin the work of the PMDU.

“My government is committed to making decisions based on the analysis of relevant data, and believes that this will position us for growth in multiple areas,” the Prime Minister said.






Bookmark and Share




© Copyright 2018 by thebahamasweekly.com

Top of Page

Receive our Top Stories



Preview | Powered by CommandBlast

Bahamas Information Services Updates
Latest Headlines
Junkanoo Summer Festival Is Back, Bigger and Better
ZNS Celebrates 86th Anniversary with Church Service
Doctoral degree posthumously conferred to Hon. A.D. Hanna by University of The Bahamas
Select Jif Peanut Butter Products Recall - Update
Dr. Rodney Smith confers final degrees as President and CEO of UB: asks graduates to take the next step with an open mind