During an event honoring the 248th anniversary of U.S. Independence on June 28, 2024, newly appointed Chargé d’Affaires Kimberly Furnish of the U.S. Embassy Nassau officially opened the New Embassy Compound (NEC) by cutting a symbolic ribbon. All activities at the Embassy are still conducted out of its existing Queen Street site; it has not yet moved to the NEC.
The reception, with the theme “celebrating our shared future,” included a color display by the U.S. Marine Corps Nassau Detachment, a moving performance of the national anthems of The Bahamas and the United States by the Bahamas National Youth Choir, a stunning sculpture by our US alumnus Antonius Roberts, eye-catching 3D Junkanoo models, and music provided by the Rhode Island National Guard 88th Army Band.
Thanks to American aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, a native of the Bahamas, attendees included officials from industry, government, and civic society. They also made contributions to a time capsule and sent letters to space.
Along with Governor General Dame Cynthia A. Pratt, Brigadier General Marizio Calabrese, OBO Principal Deputy Director J. Douglas Dykhouse, Foreign Affairs Minister Frederick Mitchell, Premier Charles Washington Misick, Prime Minister Philip E. Davis, and Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, Chargé Furnish celebrated the milestone.
During her speech, Chargé Furnish thanked everyone for their kind reception and emphasized their previous collaboration on COVID-19 vaccinations, Hurricane Dorian, and marine safety.
She stressed the value of security cooperation and disclosed the $2.5 million yearly commitment made by the Embassy’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) to fight crime and improve justice through the disruption of criminal operations, the seizure of illicit gains, and their return to The Bahamas.
Regardless of political shifts, Chargé Furnish is committed to advancing freedom, equality, justice, and human rights. She thinks that the United States and The Bahamas have a tight cultural relationship and that the NEC represents a solid, long-lasting alliance.
OBO Principal Deputy Director Dykhouse expressed his satisfaction with the NEC’s advancement and impending completion. With plans to deploy embassy workers into the facility by year’s end, he highlighted the NEC’s resilient construction, energy and water efficiency, and climate adaptability.
