The government of Antigua and Barbuda is implementing a sweeping new accountability framework that will require senior public sector leaders to submit formal quarterly performance reports to the national Cabinet, marking a significant shift in how government operations are overseen. Under the new system, permanent secretaries, department heads and other top officials will be required to regularly detail the progress of public programs, answer for their administrative stewardship, and update ministers on ongoing initiatives across all areas of the public service. The policy gained formal approval during a recent weekly Cabinet sitting, and was announced to the press Thursday by Maurice Merchant, the country’s Director General of Communications, at the conclusion of the administration’s regular post-Cabinet media briefing. Merchant explained that the idea for the routine review process grew out of an extensive multi-hour presentation delivered to Cabinet on Wednesday by more than a dozen senior officials from the Ministry of Finance. During that session, finance team members walked ministers through a granular breakdown of the government’s second-quarter fiscal performance, covering key metrics including customs revenue collection, overall public expenditure, national debt reduction progress, and other core elements of the country’s current financial standing. Merchant noted that the in-depth reporting exercise occupied a large portion of the Cabinet’s agenda, with the detailed presentation capturing the full attention of participating ministers. Following the session, Cabinet members collectively agreed that the level of transparency and insight provided by the finance presentation offered substantial value to government oversight, prompting the decision to formalize this reporting structure as a permanent requirement across the entire public administration. The rollout of the new quarterly review system will begin with the Ministry of Tourism, which has been selected as the first ministry to deliver its performance update to the full Cabinet. Merchant confirmed that the tourism ministry’s initial presentation is scheduled to take place within the next two weeks. After the tourism ministry’s session, the reporting requirement will be gradually expanded to cover every remaining government ministry and department, ensuring that all areas of public administration are subject to routine Cabinet-level oversight. At this stage, Merchant did not clarify whether the quarterly performance presentations will be released to the general public, but confirmed the phased rollout plan will bring all government entities under the new accountability framework in due course. This policy represents a formal commitment by the Antigua and Barbuda government to strengthening administrative oversight and ensuring consistent, regular accountability for senior public officials across all branches of the public service.
Antigua and Barbuda Cabinet Orders Quarterly Performance Reviews for All Government Ministries
