NASSAU, The Bahamas --The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a renaming ceremony to honour one of its fallen heroes on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
The agency's Foreign Service Training Institute has been rebranded as the Bahamas Alrae Ramsey Institute of Foreign Affairs (BARIFA).
In attendance at the ceremony were: Governor General, HE the Most Hon. Dame Cynthia Pratt; Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Philip Davis and Mrs. Ann Marie Davis; Minister of Foreign Affairs the Hon. Fred Mitchell; Minister of National Security the Hon. Wayne Munroe; Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Secretary Jamahl Strachan; High Commissioner to CARICOM, HE Leslia Miller-Brice; and Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Melvyn Seymour, along with other government officials and members of the diplomatic corps.
Delivering brief remarks and introducing the Prime Minister was Minister Fred Mitchell who noted the importance of sticking to one's core values in one's profession and in life. He also paid tribute to the Institute's former Chancellor, the Late Senator and Ambassador, Alma Adams.
Prime Minister Philip Davis thanked Alrae Ramsey's family and also paid tribute to Ambassador Alma Adams. He spoke of the importance of diplomacy to a nation.
"The opening of the institute does not simply mark the beginning: it is a declaration of a nation's course," he said.
"As we chart our own course, we bear the responsibility for our own destiny.
"As we work with our Caribbean brothers to strengthen our region, let us remember that the world doesn't respect those who shirk their responsibility. The world is watching: let them see us as bold, confident, uncompromising and resilient."
The Prime Minister spoke of the seriousness of climate change and its effects on the nation, and the region.
Sister of the Late Alrae Kieron Ramsey, Ms. Aliah Ramsey, delivered a brief response on behalf of the Ramsey family. She said that the family was greatly touched by the honour. "We are so proud of Alrae," she said. "I know that he had some very big dreams for his future, but I don't think that he would have ever imagined that he would ever be honoured in this way."
A moment of silence was observed for the late parents of Alrae Ramsey.
A ribbon cutting ceremony and tour of the new facilities was conducted.
