By: Keyron Smith
Something remarkable is happening in Eleuthera.
You can feel it in the air, in the rhythm of construction, the energy of new businesses, and the confidence of people who no longer see opportunity as something they have to leave the island to find. Eleuthera is truly in a renaissance, and it is showing us what is possible when vision meets commitment and when community meets investment.
But this moment is not just about Eleuthera. It is about the future of The Bahamas. What is happening here proves something we can no longer afford to ignore: investing in the Family Islands is essential to our national development.
The Family Islands
For too long, the Family Islands have been viewed as the “outer edges” of our economy—beautiful, historic, and culturally rich, but too often treated as secondary in national planning and investment.
That narrative is changing. The Family Islands, with Eleuthera at the forefront, are emerging as vibrant centers of growth, innovation, and resilience. In 2023, Eleuthera experienced a 38 percent increase in stopover visitors. Across all Family Islands, tourism surged by more than 40 percent. New developments are reshaping communities and bringing global attention along with economic momentum.
In Central and South Eleuthera, for example:
- · Sunset Marina in Governor’s Harbour is expanding the island’s access to high-end tourism and marine commerce.
- · The Jack’s Bay Development and Cotton Bay’s Ritz-Carlton Reserve are creating world-class destinations that reflect rising confidence in the island’s future.
This growth is not a fluke. It is a signal. The Family Islands are ready, and they are key to unlocking The Bahamas’ next chapter.
Why Investing in the Family Islands Matters for the Country
Family Island development is not just about equity. It is about strategy. When we invest in the Family Islands:
- · We ease the burden on Nassau, where overpopulation has strained housing, healthcare, transportation, and infrastructure.
- · We diversify our economy by tapping into underutilized sectors such as regenerative agriculture, heritage tourism, aquaponics, renewable energy, and small-scale manufacturing.
- · We strengthen national resilience by decentralizing emergency response systems, food security networks, and education and training opportunities.
- · We empower people to stay, build, and lead in their communities rather than leaving in search of opportunity.
In short, a stronger Bahamas requires stronger Family Islands. Nassau cannot and should not carry the full weight of our nation’s future alone.
What Eleuthera Teaches Us
Eleuthera offers a clear and hopeful lesson: when investment is matched with local leadership and long-term vision, communities can thrive.
At the heart of this local capacity-building has been the work of organizations like One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) and the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI). Together, we have trained nearly 1,000 Bahamians in various fields, including hospitality, construction, agriculture, and entrepreneurship.
We are seeing the impact in real time. Individuals are launching businesses, earning a second source of income, and moving toward long-term financial independence. For many, this training has been more than a skill; it has opened the door to upward mobility and restored a sense of purpose and pride.
However, with momentum comes responsibility. To sustain this growth, Eleuthera needs:
- · A broader and deeper human resource pool to meet the demand in trades, hospitality, education, and healthcare.
- · Affordable housing and transportation to support workers and returning talent.
- · Continued investment in education, enterprise, and infrastructure to match the pace of development.
This is not just about preparing for growth. It is about ensuring that growth benefits everyone.
The Call to Action: Let’s Grow Together
Eleuthera is not waiting. Across the island, people are building with their hands, their ideas, and their belief in something better.
Now is the time to align national planning with what is already happening on the ground and to invest in the infrastructure, services, and systems that can sustain and scale what is working. We must recognize that our Family Islands are not a sideshow, but a future stage.
Investing in people and building strong, resilient, and self-reliant communities has been at the forefront of OEF’s place-based approach and mission since we launched, thirteen years ago. Our development model and programs have been undergirding and preparing communities on Eleuthera for emerging opportunities while bridging some of the gaps between private and public sector provisioning. Our work as a nonprofit, community development organization aligns perfectly with the vision of increased family island development, economic growth, and community advancement that has been and remains at our doorstep.
We can be intentional, growing, and scaling at a manageable pace, setting our sights on unlocking the diverse opportunities our Family Islands have to offer. The future of The Bahamas is not somewhere far off. It is already rising from the ground up, in places like Eleuthera. We need to back it, build it, and believe in it.
