Bahamas Alrae Ramsay Institute of Foreign Affairs

Bahamas Alrae Ramsay Foreign Service Institute (BARIFA) – Ms. Chrissy Hanna – Head

• Development of the Foreign Service Institute – courses, curriculum and certification
• Identification of staff development and training opportunities for Foreign Service Officers nationally and internationally
• Identification of training and internship opportunities within international organizations
• Liaise as needed with the Human Resources Division on training offered by the Public Service

 More about BARIFA

Ensuring the Foreign Service of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas meets the demands of an ever-changing global society is the key role of the Foreign Service Training Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As such, it facilitates the continuous and consistent training and development of Foreign Service Officers at all ranks and levels.

BARIFA, in executing its duties, is guided primarily by the Foreign Service Orders Regulations, 2014 and the Foreign Affairs Act, 2014, so that opportunities presented for the development of a first class Bahamian Foreign Service are in alignment and remain relevant with the needs and demands of improving our officers.

A career within the Foreign Service is not simply a job, but rather a way of life; a life that presents opportunities for enlisted officers to showcase their Bahamian culture and act in our national interests to the global society through diplomacy. This is why BARIFA, in conjunction with the Human Resources Division, and through training and development, must ensure that officers are equipped with the requisite capacity-building skills to be well-rounded when representing The Bahamas.

It is the role of BARIFA to hone the necessary hard and soft skills of officers. These skills may include analytical, negotiating, strategic thinking and writing skills. There are also soft skills that need honing and/or development i.e. interacting with diplomats, conversational skills, patience, poise, national loyalty, integrity, honesty and more.

BARIFA will have a top-class onboarding process for new Foreign Service officers through comprehensive orientation sessions. The methodology includes established training methods for existing officers (inclusive of supervisors and management) such as attachments, on-the-job training, classroom training, online training, apprenticeship training and more, embracing technology for training to improve job skills for Foreign Service Officers.

Foreign Service Officers must be prepared to meet the needs of the Bahamian Diaspora outside our borders. Therefore, a well-rounded Bahamian Foreign Service Officer trains continuously to be more knowledgeable of the economic, social and political policies of The Bahamas and their competitiveness vis-a-vis policies of the Caribbean Region and the world through constant training organised by this division.