The Minister of MOEA
Senator, The Hon. Michael B. Halkitis was born on February 1st, 1969, in Nassau, Bahamas to Inez Brown. He attended Old Bight All Age School in Cat Island, Yellow Elder School in Nassau and graduated from St Augustine’s College. Mr. Halkitis began his higher education at the College of the Bahamas and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario in 1991.
A Chief Financial Officer by profession, Mr. Halkitis started his political journey in 2007 when he was elected to Parliament for the first time as Member of Parliament for the Adelaide Constituency and served as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. He is credited for digitizing the Ministry of Finance and introducing major taxation reforms which have been applauded for their seamless integration and functional operability.
He was thereafter appointed to the Senate in 2007. Following his successful campaign in the 2012 elections, he became the Member of Parliament for the Golden Isles Constituency and was appointed Minister of State for Finance by Prime Minister the Rt. Hon Perry G. Christie.
His political journey continued as he received his most recent appointment as Minister of Economic Affairs and Leader of Government Business in the Senate by Prime Minister, the Rt. Honorable Philip Davis during the recent 2021 appointment of Cabinet Ministers. He will oversee the financial services industry and trade, take on the crucial task of improving our country’s ease of doing business, and direct our country’s digitalization efforts. He will play an important role in helping to stabilize the country’s finances.
He is married to the former Dr Tracy Roberts, and they have two children. He attends the Church of God of Prophecy, and his interests include sports, gardening, cooking, and reading.
Permanent Secretary
PS Donella Bodie
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Parliamentary Secretary
PS Wayde Watson
Wayde Watson is the Member of Parliament for Bain & Grants Town, appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Mr. Watson is driving the government’s digital transformation efforts with Digitization, Innovation and ICT in the Bahamas Government. This is an aggressive and transformative agenda to digitize government systems and services to meet the needs of a modern Bahamas.
Having begun his career working hands-on in the Information & Communications Technology sector, Wayde Watson moved from coding to managing procurement and systems development for large-scale public and private sector projects.
Apart from having mastered the skills needed to move The Bahamas more fully into the digital age, Wayde Watson counts as his greatest achievements the fathering and educating of his children, as well as the coaching, mentoring and character-building work he has done with young people over the past 31 years.
Director of Financial Services
Director Brandace B. Duncanson
Brandace B. Duncanson first joined the Ministry of Financial Services, Trade & Industry and Immigration as the Ministry’s Deputy Director of Financial Services. As of August 2022, she serves as Director of Financial Services in the recently formed Ministry of Economic Affairs. Director Duncanson has experience in a broad range of matters and possesses a sound knowledge of the practice, procedures and laws governing the financial and corporate structure in The Bahamas. Additionally, she is a trained legislative draftsperson and facilitated the preparation and drafting of a wide range of legislation on behalf of the Government of The Bahamas including, but not limited to, land reform and financial services.
She also served on the New Providence Road Improvement Committee where her duties included reviewing and advising on title to land. Additionally, when the suite of land reform legislation was introduced in 2011, she was an integral member of the team that travelled throughout the length and breadth of The Bahamas,* educating Bahamians on the implications of the proposed legislation.
Director Duncanson previously served as Senior Legal Counsel in the Ministry of Financial Services, where her duties and responsibilities included her involvement in various substantial matters on behalf of the Government of The Bahamas, notably evaluating and making recommendations with respect to regional and global financial reporting initiatives such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United States Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). She also served as a representative for The Bahamas Government on the Global Forum’s Automatic Exchange of Information Working Group and the OECD’s Peer Review Group.
In 2012, she was the youngest member appointed to The Bahamas’ Constitutional Commission, whose responsibility was to conduct a comprehensive review of the Constitution of The Bahamas and recommend changes. Later, in 2014, she was one of three (3) persons appointed to the Commission’s Education Committee, tasked with conducting private and public educational forums throughout The Bahamas, on the proposed Constitution Bills. In 2017, she was appointed to the Road Traffic Authority Board where she serves as the Board’s Deputy Chairperson.
She began her tertiary education at Bethune-Cookman University where she obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree (Hons.), in Public Relations/Marketing. She also obtained her LL. B (Upper Second Class Hons.) from the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Barbados and obtained her Legal Education Certificate from the Eugene Dupuch Law School, Nassau, The Bahamas and is a member of The Bahamas Bar Association. She has a diploma in Spanish (Excelente Hons.) from Alhambra Instituto Internacional, Malaga, Spain and was awarded a diploma in Legislative Drafting from The International Legislative Drafting Institute, Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Director Duncanson holds a Certificate of Training as an accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator from the London School of Mediation, and is also a qualified Notary Public.
Director of Trade & Industry
Director Brickell Prinder
Director Brickell Pinder joined the public service on 19th November, 1990 as an Assistant Agriculture Officer in the Planning and Statistics Unit of the Department of Agriculture. Following her passion for policy analysis and development issues, she successfully completed a Master of Science in Tropical Agricultural Development: Economics and Planning at the University of Reading in England in 1993 on a Chevening Scholarship. She has subsequently pursued post-graduate courses in development and trade.
She has served on the Prices Commission, served as Loan Guarantee Fund Administrator, was National Correspondent to the Food and Agriculture Organization and Chief Negotiator on Agriculture for the World Trade Organization accession negotiations. She has represented The Bahamas at regional and international meetings. Prior to her appointment as Director of Trade and Industry in July 2020, she was Chief Economist in the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources where she contributed to policy documents on food security and climate change.
She is married to Simeon Pinder and they have four children. She enjoys time with her family, baking and gardening.
DTaD Acting Director
Director Charlene Laing
DTU National Coordinator of Informational Technology
Mr. Patrick Davis
Executive Director, Bahamas National Statistics Institute
Director Nerissa Gibson
Chief Price Inspector, Consumer Affairs
Inspector Eulamae Gordon
Director, Bahamas Bureau of Standards & Quality
Director Renae Bufford
Interim Executive Director, Small Business Development Centre
Director Samantha Rolle
Ms. Rolle has more than 16 years in management, with significant experience in corporate management, strategic development, policy implementation, and team development, most recently as Director of External Relations at Access Accelerator. Prior to that, she led the regulatory risk, governance and compliance section in Deloitte’s Risk Advisory Practice.
Rolle has also worked in the Government infrastructure, serving as a Programme Manager of the Economic Development and Planning Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, where she directed engagement in the development of the National Development Plan.
With degrees in Organizational Leadership and Business Management, Rolle has the knowledge, skills and industry experience to enhance the overall effectiveness of the Access Accelerator Small Business Development Centre.
