Greene urges private investment in conference centre for Antigua and Barbuda

Against the backdrop of the ongoing post-COVID economic recovery effort, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs E.P. Chet Greene has issued a public appeal to private sector investors, urging them to back the development of a custom-built national conference centre. Speaking at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) town hall event this Wednesday, Greene highlighted a critical gap in the country’s tourism infrastructure that is currently holding back economic growth. He emphasized that this infrastructure shortcoming means Antigua and Barbuda is forced to turn down a number of high-profile international gathering opportunities, as the nation currently lacks the specialized amenities and large-scale venue capacity required to host major global events. While Greene publicly commended the existing conference facility operated by the American University of Antigua, which is serving as a core host venue for this year’s CHOGM, he noted that additional purpose-built infrastructure is needed to expand the country’s ability to attract a steady stream of future international events. Expanding conference tourism is a central pillar of the Antigua and Barbuda government’s strategy to diversify the national economy and reverse the widespread economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the upcoming 2024 CHOGM, which is scheduled to run from November 1 to 4, Antigua and Barbuda is projecting that around 5,000 international participants will travel to the country for the main summit and its linked side events. “As the government continues to make targeted interventions to grow this sector, private investment will be the critical catalyst to move this process forward,” Greene told attendees. At the time of his address, the minister did not share details of any specific private development proposal, outline a formal financing framework, or announce a projected construction timeline for the new conference centre. The appeal comes as many small island developing states like Antigua and Barbuda work to build out high-value niche tourism sectors to reduce their reliance on traditional leisure travel and build greater economic resilience against future global shocks.