Bahamas 2023

Forum for Impact Americas

MAY 2023

Forum for Impact Americas 2023: Grand Bahama Hosts Dialogue on Resilience, Conservation, and Investment

Returning to The Bahamas for its second annual Americas dialogue from May 10th to 12th, 2023, Forum for Impact shifted its focus and venue, bringing its international gathering to Grand Bahama. This move from Nassau, the site of the inaugural 2022 event, allowed participants to engage directly with the unique challenges and opportunities present on an island actively navigating recovery and redefining its future.

Shaping the International Conversation from Grand Bahama

The 2023 event centered on the theme: “The Convergence of Resilience, Conservation and Investment”. Grand Bahama served as a powerful backdrop for this discussion, offering real-world examples of balancing industrial activity with environmental protection, rebuilding infrastructure post-Hurricane Dorian, and fostering ecological resilience in the face of climate change. By convening international investors and leaders from the US, Canada, Europe, and Latin America with Bahamian government officials, entrepreneurs, and conservation pioneers, the Forum facilitated a crucial dialogue that connected local realities to global trends. This gathering contributed significantly to shaping the international conversation on how investment can effectively drive solutions at the intersection of environmental stewardship and economic fortitude.

Key Themes Explored:

The dialogues and experiences were carefully curated to explore the central theme from multiple angles, tying into global priorities:

Island Resilience and Rebuilding:

An initial dialogue featuring the Minister for Grand Bahama, Ginger Moxey, and Rupert Hayward of the Blue Action Lab and GBPA, focused explicitly on rebuilding the island through the integrated lens of conservation, resilience, and investment.

Investing in Conservation & Restoration:

Participants heard directly from pioneers in the “restoration economy,” including the Earthshot Prize-winning founders of Coral Vita (Sam Teicher & Gator Halpern) and leaders from Mangrove Mania and the Queen Conch Lab, showcasing how investing in nature yields tangible results. Experiential visits to sites like Coral Vita provided first-hand insight.

Sustainable Economic Growth:

The Hon. Michael Halkitis, Minister of Economic Affairs, discussed building resilience to promote sustainable growth, emphasizing the critical confluence of policy, innovation, and impact investment.

The Rise of the Blue Economy:

A dedicated session explored investing in oceans as a rapidly growing impact area, featuring experts in marine waste recycling, water technologies, and impact funding.

Impact Investing Ecosystem:

Discussions covered the full spectrum of impact, from investing in innovation and growth stages with global accelerators like Founders Factory, to supporting grassroots initiatives with global potential, linking local action to the international impact community.

A Nexus for Global and Local Leaders

The 2023 Forum for Impact Americas in Grand Bahama successfully demonstrated how a specific location’s experiences can inform and enrich the global dialogue on critical issues. By focusing on resilience, conservation, and investment in a place actively confronting these challenges, the event fostered international connections and highlighted investable solutions relevant far beyond Bahamian shores. The presence of high-level government figures, international investors, and local innovators created a dynamic environment for shaping actionable strategies for a sustainable future.