Davidson Ishmael - BLP St. Michael North

18/07/2026

To God be the glory! It is finished...

I never graduated from secondary school...I chose rather to be a part of a missions team that went to Grenada to help people and communities rebuild their lives and homes after being severely affected by hurricane Ivan.

I also chose to go right into the world of work because I wanted to make sure that I could assist my mother - who worked almost her entire life as a maid - to pay some of the bills in our home. So, when I decided to go back to the classroom, I was a full adult learner; one with a good amount of practical experience having been given the opportunity to lead others from a young age.

This picture was taken in October 2017 when I graduated from the Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland with my MBA. It was a really amazing moment for me given the unusual path I had taken in my academic and life journey and I felt like these words from Nelson Mandela captured my thoughts and aspirations perfectly. I didn't know it on this day, but I would continue on with ENU to pursue and earn a MSc degree just over a year later.

I thought I was done. However, in seeking to make myself the best I could be for my country and the world, I decided to undertake a DBA. I started this journey with one university in 2019 but it didn't align well and after searching, I found the programme offered by the William Howard Taft University William Howard Taft University and started with them in August 2020.

Much happened in my life in between then and now and it has been 6 long & rough years. I paused many times along the way, but anyone who knows me knows that I don't quit...I started this and I had to finish it. God's favour, long nights, personal sacrifice and the support of my family allowed me to endure multiple courses, multiple exams, the writing of my dissertation and the successful defense thereof. It's been quite the journey and I'm grateful to have reached the end.

I write this post to highlight this significant milestone in my journey of service & professional contribution to society but more importantly to inspire others to keep moving forward. I always say, slow progress is better than no progress!

It is finished 🙏🙏

03/07/2026

I believe our children are our future and that's why I love being able to share these special moments with them and having the opportunity to speak life over them.

Today, at the Eden Lodge Nursery School closing ceremony, I joined with the Principal, teaching and auxiliary staff, parents and guardians, and my colleague Minister of Education, Hon. Chad Blackman as we celebrated the achievements of our little ones over the last academic year. They have done well and they are moving on up in this thing called life with a solid foundation having been laid at this institution.

Minister Blackman reminded all of us that life and death are in the power of the tongue and as such, we need to speak life and positivity over our youth. In that vein, I was happy to have the opportunity to pray and speak words of life over these future leaders and all of the 3, 4 and 5 years old that they represent all over our nation. I asked God to keep them on the right path and away from deviance and to help them to make a positive difference in this world. I specifically asked Him to make them the generation that makes the biggest difference in our Barbados in the years to come...so let it be.

I wish everyone of these little ones well as they journey on and hopefully, I will be there once again, to celebrate with them at their next graduation in just a few years 🙂

30/06/2026

23/06/2026

Today, I had the privilege of hosting an engagement with various members of the food industry in our country. These individuals, and the many companies that they each represent, are valuable stakeholders in our collective efforts to further enhance the food environment in Barbados.

We thought that this discussion was critical at this juncture, as we continue to encourage our people to exercise more, drink more water, and eat healthier and more nutritious meals. For this to be possible, we need to expand the range of affordable and healthy options that they have access to so that they can make the best food choices each and every time. As we discussed today, this is the ideal and it will take time for this to become our reality across the board, but today's engagement is the starting point, the first step that will move us in the direction of becoming the healthiest nation on Earth.

I was pleased to see industry, civil society, and government interacting in a frank and respectful manner as we discussed how we can work together more cohesively going forward in the best interests of our citizens, our customers, our friends and family. There is much work to be done and much ground to cover, but today was very encouraging and we have committed to continued and systematic dialogue and partnership. Stay tuned to this space as we create a healthier food environment for you.

21/06/2026

28/03/2026

This week I had the opportunity to put the support of the MHW behind two very impactful initiatives which placed the wellness of our people at the forefront.

I was happy to join with the management and staff of the Geriatric Hospital as they held a health and wellness fair on their grounds, affording their staff the opportunity to benefit from health checks, demonstrations, massages and, educational materials and content on important topics.

Equally, I had the opportunity to join with our partners, and at the media launch of the Live Stronger, Longer Blue Wellness Conference that is coming up in a few weeks. This initiative will place heavy and necessary emphasis on helping attendees to have the information and tools needed to adopt the lifestyles that can support us enjoying long and healthy lives, increasing our odds of avoiding often debilitating diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

The stands ready to support and partner with all entities that are helping our people to better navigate their health and wellness journey. I encourage all Barbadians to get your screenings done, adopt healthier lifestyles and LIVE!!

20/03/2026

During this week, we concluded a three-week Estimates and Budgetary Proposals exercise that was both exhausting and exhaustive as we continue to work assiduously on the behalf of our constituents and our country to make a better life for all.

I began my response to the budget presentation by thanking God and my constituents for the opportunity to once again sound my voice on their behalf in the hallowed chamber of the House - it is an honour and a privilege to so do.

In my speech I reflected on the context within which the budget sits - the global, regional and local context - and I juxtaposed this against the contexts within which two other Ministers of Finance made their budget presentations, PM Tom Adams in 1977 and PM Owen Arthur in 2002. These were two very trying global times for our country and the budgets then were designed to offer stability, protection for vulnerable industries, and some hope amidst a very bleak global and local economic context.

Given the similarities of those moments in time and the time in which we now live, many expected that this budget would be one filled with belt tightening, austerity, bracing and heavy prescriptions of caution but that is not how I and the people of SMN received it. Rather we saw the Minister of Finance, figuratively opening his hands to gift to the people eases on taxes, eases on duties, waivers, allowances, increases, benefit after benefit, and incentives for the creation of new industries and for the seizing of new opportunities.

This was truly a people-centric budget! So many initiatives designed to shield and empower our people and with that, I fully supported all of the measures announced and I look forward to working with our Government to ensure that each dollar approved during this process is engaged to bring about the vision of transformation and progress that this amazing team seeks to deliver to our people. Stay with us, work with us!

16/03/2026

The first ever Lion's Lime was great! It was good to see the efforts of the hard working teams come to life in a very effective, fun and impactful manner.

We had sports, games, talks, products, services, information, massages, demonstrations, and live entertainment by some of the best artiste. It was a fantastic, cool, and fun day for the participants. I was especially happy to see so many men engaging with the various booths, gathering information, having their health checks done and supporting the businesses of several of their brothers.

I want to thank , the team at the , and all other partners for helping us to make this day successful. Let me also express appreciation to our two main entertainment headliners, and for bringing the vibes and wrapping the day up with exceptional flair!!

This is only the beginning and we're truly off to a great start! At the MHW we will continue to offer programmes, initiatives, events and efforts that will reach our people where they are - reminding each of us that health is life and life is health!

Remember to know your numbers, take your health into your own hands and make those small consistent efforts daily to improve your overall health and wellness. We are with you on the journey 🙂

'sLime
'sHealthMatters

13/03/2026

📣 I'm excited to announce our first community meeting for the year!

We are focusing on Entrepreneurship and Career Opportunities and have pulled together several agencies that have services to empower our people in this regard. Come and hear from the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme, Construction Gateway, Trust Loans Fund, and the team from Project Dawn as they share with us the many opportunities that are available to you, the people of SMN.

Do not miss this!! I want each of my people to seize every opportunity that is available to them so bring out your young people especially and let's learn and gros together!

13/03/2026

I really should do some 'before & after' shots to show the scale of improvements here but maybe at another time. If you know, you know.

Since becoming the MP for SMN in 2022, I have sought to advocate, agitate and persistently pursue improvements to the infrastructure of all of the educational facilities in my constituency. The Eden Lodge Primary School was by far in need of the greatest levels of work to address many longstanding issues, and over these four years, the work has been steadily progressing year by year.

In my annual check in meeting with the principal to discuss outstanding issues and our continued partnership in the delivery of education to the future leaders of our country, I took the opportunity to do another tour of the school plant. I was very pleased to see that the team at the led by my colleague Minister has done a significant amount of work to really bring this school back to a place of not only beauty but better functioning for the hundreds of young minds being shaped there daily.

Every time I visit this compound, I cannot help but be transported back to my time there as a child and I usually, warmly reflect on the many things that have remained unchanged. On this occasion, it was great to see the installation of the school's adopted affirmations being prominently displayed for the children to see them daily and it was also great to see the bright colours displayed on all of the blocks. The improvements to the principal's office, the changed doors all throughout, the enhanced bathrooms and lunch service facilities, and the better securing of all classrooms has been well received by students and faculty and I am grateful to see that these matters have been addressed 🙂🙏🏾

I have a few more outstanding matters that I will continue to bring to the attention of the ministry and I am sure that these too will be addressed in due course. In addition, it is still my desire to get our afterschool programme started here and we will work with some partners to have a thriving school agricultural initiative started at the school to allow students to learn the fundamentals of agriculture while beautifying the grounds.