In a landmark decision that reshapes land governance on the Caribbean island of Barbuda, the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has formally approved the issuance of the first batch of freehold land certificates, a policy step the national government frames as a critical win for formalizing private property rights for local residents.
Maurice Merchant, director general of communications at the Prime Minister’s Office, made the announcement public during the regular weekly post-Cabinet press briefing held Thursday.
Five recipients will make history as the first to hold these legally recognized ownership documents: Atian Davis, former Barbuda Member of Parliament Arthur Nibbs, the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard, Chaz Askey, and Eva Askey-George.
Merchant emphasized that the approval marks a transformative milestone for the island, paving the way for the creation of Barbuda’s first formal land registry and the rollout of a modern, standardized land administration framework. The certificates are distributed under the administration’s flagship Land Empowerment Programme, a policy designed to expand accessible land ownership for eligible Barbudans. Under the initiative, qualifying applicants can acquire up to one full acre of land for just one Eastern Caribbean dollar, equivalent to roughly $0.37 USD.
For residents already holding plots larger than one acre that fall under the regularization scheme, the additional acreage will undergo independent professional surveying and valuation to bring their full holdings into formal, legal ownership.
Beyond its immediate administrative implications, Merchant noted that the certificates lay the critical legal groundwork for the permanent establishment of the Barbuda Land Registry. Government officials explain that the centralized registry will bring unprecedented clarity and transparency to island land management, while strengthening long-term tenure security for all property owners across Barbuda.
The move comes after decades of debate over land ownership on the island. For generations, Barbuda has operated under a traditional communal land system, and the government’s push to formalize individual freehold ownership has drawn vocal opposition from segments of the Barbudan population who wish to preserve the island’s historic communal land governance model.