Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne confirmed in a public announcement Thursday that construction of 100 Chinese-supported condominium homes will kick off across two of the country’s communities between 60 and 90 days from now. The announcement came during an official ceremony marking the handover of Pelican Court, a completed 150-unit housing development that marks the first phase of bilateral housing cooperation between the Caribbean nation and China.
Under the terms of the second phase of the partnership, 50 of the new units will be constructed in Bolans, while the remaining 50 will be built on the island of Barbuda to expand access to affordable housing for local residents. In a separate interview with Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service (ABS), Chinese Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda confirmed that pre-construction preparations for the new 100-unit project are already progressing on schedule. Speaking through a translator, she emphasized that Pelican Court stands as the successful milestone of the first phase of the two countries’ collaborative housing initiative, adding that a Chinese technical and construction team is already coordinating logistics to launch the second phase of development.
Prime Minister Browne framed the public-private bilateral housing partnership as a critical government intervention to address growing affordability barriers in Antigua and Barbuda’s housing market. Many local residents currently lack the credit to qualify for conventional mortgages, and soaring construction costs have put custom home building out of reach for low- and middle-income households. Browne highlighted Pelican Court, which was built to rehouse residents of the former informal Booby Alley settlement in St. John’s City West, as a replicable model for upgrading living conditions for underserved communities across the country.
Beyond the confirmed 100-unit second phase, Browne has also submitted a separate request for Chinese support to develop an additional 300 condominium units at Perry Bay, a project that would serve residents of Rural West constituency. This proposal has not yet received formal approval from Chinese authorities, and the ambassador confirmed that she will formally forward the request to the relevant Chinese government departments for review.