Bahamas has a new Minister of Tourism, following the country’s recent general elections. 

The new Minister of Tourism is Chester Cooper, who succeeds former Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar; his portfolio includes Investments and Aviation. 

Cooper is serving in the cabinet of new Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis. 

“We at the Ministry of Tourism look forward with excitement to working under the new leadership of Minister Cooper, who will bring to our Ministry the wealth of knowledge and experience he has garnered from his lifetime career as a successful leader in the private sector. Minister Cooper’s energy and sharp business acumen
are exactly what is needed as our Ministry continues the thrust toward tourism recovery amid an ongoing pandemic,” said Bahamas Tourism Director General Joy Jibrilu.

His career includes serving as chairman and CEO of BAF Global Group, and president and CEO of BAF Financial and Insurance LTD. 

Minister Cooper “acknowledges that all of the core business in The Bahamas is driven by the international community and that understanding of the international context of business is absolutely critical to the sustainable expansion of The Bahamas’ Tourism, Aviation and Investments sectors,” he said in a statement.

Cooper assumes the helm of the nation’s number one business “with an acute awareness of the monumental task that lies ahead.” He said he “relishes the opportunity to rise to the challenge in the service of his beloved country.”

Cooper was also the inaugural chairman of the country’s Insurance Advisory Committee, and the founding director of The Bahamas Venture Fund. 

— CJ