As The Bahamas approaches its upcoming general election, the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has launched an ambitious, wide-ranging policy platform that outlines the party’s priorities if re-elected, spanning everything from immigration regulation to emerging technology governance. The comprehensive policy agenda, officially branded the “Blueprint for Progress,” was presented at a public launch event Wednesday night, where senior party leaders and electoral candidates broke down key commitments across every major sector of national governance.
One of the most attention-grabbing pillars of the new platform centers on immigration reform and public cost containment. A core proposal would mandate that all migrants residing in The Bahamas hold valid health insurance, either through private plans or a newly created government-run migrant health insurance scheme. Party officials emphasized that this policy shift would ease the growing financial strain the current uncompensated care model places on the country’s public healthcare system, which has long borne sole responsibility for covering uninsured migrants’ medical costs.
To strengthen border and immigration enforcement, the PLP has committed to rolling out a series of new systems and harsher penalties for violations. Key infrastructure investments include a fully integrated National Biometric Immigration System and AI-powered biometric e-gates at ports of entry designed to flag previously deported individuals and cases of identity fraud. The plan also introduces daily fines for visa overstays starting from the first day a visitor’s permission to remain expires, rather than the current grace period framework. For employers that hire undocumented workers, penalties would scale steeply: an initial offense would carry a $5,000 fine, while repeat violations could result in fines as high as $15,000, up to 12 months of prison time, and a permanent ban from applying for future work permits. Additional anti-fraud measures include the creation of a dedicated Immigration Fraud Intelligence Unit and a national Bahamian e-Verify system for employee eligibility checks, stiffer criminal penalties for public officials found to be facilitating fraudulent immigration document processing, and expanded re-entry bans for individuals convicted of major immigration violations.
On labor and workplace protections, the party’s platform introduces sweeping updates to the country’s employment regulations via a new Employment Bill. The legislation would cap probationary employment periods at six months for private sector workers and 12 months for public sector employees, guarantee a paid one-hour rest break for shifts of eight hours or longer, and require a minimum of eight consecutive hours of rest between scheduled work shifts. The PLP also included new provisions for worker well-being: all employees would be granted three annual mental wellness days that do not require a doctor’s note for approval (though these days remain unpaid, per the party’s prior clarification), paid maternity leave would be extended from 12 weeks to 14 weeks, and all new fathers would gain access to two weeks of paid paternity leave, with a new legal guarantee of paid adoption leave for prospective parents. For workplaces with 20 or more employees, employers would be legally required to provide dedicated breaks and private, suitable spaces for breastfeeding mothers.
In a bold push to position The Bahamas as a regional hub for digital innovation and responsible artificial intelligence development, the PLP outlined a multi-year technology transformation strategy. Plans include passing a new eGovernment Act that mandates all public sector agencies integrate their services into the national MyGateway digital platform within three years, expanding access to end-to-end digital government services for all citizens. A new Bahamas AI Academy would be launched in partnership with the University of The Bahamas and Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) to train the domestic workforce in AI skills. The party also committed to integrating AI literacy and adaptive AI learning tools into all national public school curricula by the end of the three-year implementation period. To mitigate risks associated with AI expansion, the PLP has proposed an AI Governance Act that would codify strict guardrails: facial recognition technology would be banned for general use without explicit parliamentary approval, predictive policing tools targeting individuals would be prohibited, and controversial social scoring systems would be outlawed entirely.
The platform also addresses the country’s ongoing affordable housing crisis with a series of targeted interventions. A new Social Housing Acquisition Programme would acquire and rehabilitate distressed and abandoned residential properties to expand the national supply of affordable housing, with additional affordable rental units developed through public-private partnerships. To protect renters, the PLP pledged to implement enforceable national minimum housing standards, a centralized national rental property registry, and a new Residential Tenancy Authority with the power to conduct inspections and enforce housing regulations. For families facing sudden displacement from their homes, a new Temporary Social Housing initiative would provide short-term accommodation and coordinated support services.
On economic policy, the PLP has committed to updating decades-old regulatory frameworks to protect consumers: a modern competition law would be introduced to crack down on anti-competitive practices including price-fixing and abuse of market dominance, alongside a rapid-response enforcement unit to investigate reports of predatory price gouging. A new Foreign Direct Investment Compliance Unit would be established to audit existing investment concession agreements to ensure foreign investors meet all contractual and regulatory obligations, and state-owned enterprises would be required to submit binding, multi-year business plans designed to reduce their long-term reliance on government subsidies.
To boost domestic food security and reduce the country’s heavy reliance on food imports, the platform sets a target of cutting national food import spending by 25 percent by 2030. The goal would be advanced through a series of technology-driven agricultural initiatives: a national digital marketplace platform connecting smallholder farmers directly to consumers and businesses, a new Agriculture Innovation Centre to test and disseminate new growing techniques, and the rollout of solar-powered container farming systems across multiple out islands. Additional measures include a National Agricultural Drone Programme to improve crop monitoring and disaster response, and expanded support for young and new farmers through dedicated scholarships, improved access to agricultural land, and formal mentorship programs.
For the country’s Family Islands, the PLP pledged to develop customized economic development plans for each individual island, supported by targeted tax and investment incentives, expanded funding for local tourism development, and grants to grow small local enterprises. The plan also opens the door for large-scale new development, including a public consultation process to explore building a new planned city on Andros Island, and the creation of regional innovation hubs and small business centers on the country’s most populous major islands.
In the healthcare sector, the platform expands coverage and access: all public sector workers, including contracted employees, would gain access to national health insurance coverage, telemedicine services would be rolled out to all major public clinics within two years, and new legislation would be introduced to criminalize the abandonment of elderly dependents. The party also committed to a 10-year national strategy to reduce rates of chronic disease, a four-year national mental health and suicide prevention plan, the launch of a 24/7 national suicide prevention hotline, and the expansion of community-based mental health centers across the country.
