As Antigua and Barbuda prepares to observe its annual Centenarians Week in 2026, the country’s top official for social and urban policy has issued a heartfelt call for all residents to lift up and celebrate the nation’s centenarians, framing these 100-year-old citizens as irreplaceable national treasures defined by wisdom, hard-won resilience and decades of lived experience.
In her official address marking the launch of Centenarians Week 2026, Minister of Social and Urban Transformation Kiz Johnson emphasized that the annual observance serves a dual purpose: beyond celebrating the remarkable milestone of living a century, it also offers a moment to recognize the vast network of people that support centenarians across the country. This includes family members, full-time and informal caregivers, frontline healthcare workers, and local community organizations that dedicate time and resources to older citizens, Johnson noted.
Johnson pointed to the outsized, often uncelebrated contributions centenarians have made to the growth and development of Antigua and Barbuda’s local communities and the nation as a whole. From building local economies through decades of work to raising the next generation of leaders and prioritizing collective community well-being, these elders made intentional sacrifices that laid the foundational framework modern Antigua and Barbuda is built on, Johnson explained. “Through their work, sacrifice, family, leadership, and commitment to community life, they have helped lay the foundation upon which subsequent generations continue to build,” she said in her address.
The minister went on to reaffirm her ministry’s ongoing commitment to building neighborhoods and communities across the country that are inclusive, physically accessible, and actively supportive of all older residents. Too often, older citizens are pushed to the margins of public life, Johnson said, reinforcing the need for ongoing work to create spaces where older people can stay connected to their communities, remain socially engaged, and feel the respect and appreciation they deserve as core members of Antiguan and Barbudan society. “We must continue to foster environments where seniors remain connected, engaged, respected, and valued members of our society,” she stated.
A key priority highlighted in Johnson’s message is expanding opportunities for intergenerational connection between young people and the nation’s centenarians. Young people growing up in a time of rapid social, economic and technological change stand to gain invaluable perspective from those who have navigated 100 years of global and local transformation, Johnson explained. She added that the cumulative wisdom of the country’s oldest citizens remains one of Antigua and Barbuda’s most underrecognized, yet most valuable, national resources.
Closing her address, Johnson extended formal congratulations to all centenarians across Antigua and Barbuda, as well as their loved ones, and offered her wishes for a warm, joyful, and meaningful 2026 Centenarians Week celebration.