Permanent Secretary

Mr. Melvin Seymour

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
New Providence.

Foreign Affairs, Ministry of

Goodman’s Bay Corporate Centre
2nd Floor, West Bay Street
Nassau City, New Providence,
Bahamas.

Mr. Seymour was born at Knowles Cat Island on 28^th July, 1953. He moved to Nassau in 1968 and attended Highbury High School (now R.M. Bailey Senior High School). In 1977 he enrolled in Elmira College, New York and graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.  He has a Certificate in Design and Management of Social Policies and Programmes, Certificate in Managing Change in the Public Service, Institute of Public Service and Management, Certificate of Training, Project Implementation and Management, Administrative Competitive Course, Certificate in Public Administration and Management.

Mr. Seymour has been in the Public Service since 1972 and has held various positions.  He served as a Teacher at Stephen Dillet Primary School then as a Clerk in the Ministry of Education & Culture before entering college.  After graduating from college he was appointed Youth Officer then Senior Youth Officer in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Affairs and Director of Junior Achievement, Bahamas for four years.  In 1986 he was appointed Assistant Family Island Commissioner and later promoted to Senior Family Island Commissioner in the Ministry of Transportation and local Government.  In 1994 he was appointed to act as Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister with administrative responsibility for the Department of Lands and Surveys.

Mr Seymour was promoted to Deputy Permanent Secretary in April 1995. Later he was appointed to act as Chief Housing Officer for one year in the Department of Housing then transferred to the Department of Immigration and promoted to Director of Immigration in 1997. In 2000 he was transferred to the Ministry of Education and Youth and reclassified as Under Secretary.   Mr Seymour served as Under Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Social Development, the Ministry of Housing and National Insurance and the Office of the Prime Minister.  Then he served as Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing for one year. Thereafter he was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Chief of Protocol.  Mr Seymour was then invited to serve as Secretary to the Governor-General until his present appointment as Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama from May 2021. In February of 2024 Mr. Seymour joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.