标签： Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced an ambitious national initiative to deliver sweeping upgrades to the country’s aging road network, with a clear timeline of 12 to 18 months for substantial progress. Speaking during an appearance on the *Browne and Browne Show* aired on local outlet Pointe FM, the nation’s leader confirmed that the administration has already locked in more than $100 million in committed funding to advance construction and rehabilitation work across communities island-wide.

In a departure from past contracting models, Browne confirmed that the government has made a strategic policy shift to assign major infrastructure projects directly to the country’s Public Works Department (PWD), rather than relying exclusively on external private contractors. The prime minister highlighted that this in-house approach will cut unnecessary administrative and contracting costs, delivering better overall value for public spending on the program. “They’ll be able to do it far cheaper, and I think we’ll get better value for money,” Browne told listeners during the radio interview.

To equip PWD to take on the expanded workload, the government is implementing a series of structural upgrades to the department, including targeted recruitment of additional professional engineers and skilled construction workers. Browne added that salary adjustments are also being rolled out to make positions more competitive, enabling the department to attract higher-caliber skilled personnel to support the accelerated work schedule.

Browne expressed strong confidence that the expanded capacity of PWD will allow the government to tackle decades-long road infrastructure challenges that have long impacted communities across the country. “We believe that well-equipped Public Works will be able to resolve the country’s infrastructure [gap] maybe within the next 12 to 18 months,” he said.

While he acknowledged that the scope of work means it is impossible to rehabilitate every deficient road across the nation at the same time, Browne emphasized that the current pace and scale of the initiative mark a fundamental change from how road projects have been managed in the past. He noted that visible, rapid improvements are already visible across many parts of the island, and asserted that the entire program remains fully under government control. “We can’t fix all the roads at the same time… but we have it under control,” he added.

Notably, the prime minister made clear that the road improvement program will continue moving forward regardless of the outcome of the country’s upcoming general election. He warned against any actions that could disrupt the current momentum in infrastructure development, framing the project as a national priority that should transcend electoral politics.

In recent months, the Browne administration has steadily ramped up road construction activity, with active projects underway in multiple communities as part of a broader national push to modernize Antigua and Barbuda’s core public infrastructure.

A major political party has formally announced that it will officially launch its electoral campaign for the upcoming election cycle on April 12. The United People’s Party (UPP), which has spent weeks behind the scenes preparing policy documents, recruiting candidates, and organizing grassroots outreach across key constituencies, has locked in this date to mark the public start of its push for voter support.

Political observers note that the announcement of a firm campaign launch date comes as the region enters a critical phase of electoral preparation, with other major parties also expected to unveil their official campaign timelines in the coming weeks. UPP insiders have shared that the launch event will be held at the party’s national headquarters, with additional satellite events organized in major regional hubs to allow local candidates and supporters to participate simultaneously.

The event is expected to feature the launch of the party’s official election manifesto, which outlines its policy priorities across key voter concerns including economic growth, healthcare access, educational reform, and infrastructure development. Party leaders are also scheduled to deliver keynote addresses laying out their vision for the coming term, should the party win a majority of seats in the upcoming national election.

Barbuda political hopeful Kendra Beazer has officially kicked off her electoral campaign, centering her bid for public office around a unifying vision framed under the slogan ‘One Barbuda. One Future.’ The launch event, held on the Caribbean island recently, drew dozens of local residents, party supporters and community organizers who gathered to hear Beazer outline her policy priorities for the territory.

In her opening campaign address, Beazer emphasized that deep divisions across community groups and uneven development across different regions of Barbuda have held back the island’s shared growth over recent years. She argued that a collective, collaborative approach to governance is the only path forward to address pressing local challenges, from infrastructure improvement to sustainable economic development amid rising climate risks for small island states.

Beazer, who has a background in community organizing and local public service, highlighted three core pillars of her campaign: expanding access to affordable housing for young Barbudan families, boosting sustainable tourism that benefits local small business owners rather than outside investors, and implementing more robust coastal protection measures to mitigate the impacts of sea level rise and tropical storm damage. She stressed that every resident of Barbuda, regardless of their neighborhood background or economic status, deserves a seat at the table when shaping the island’s long-term future.

Local political analysts note that Beazer’s campaign enters a crowded field for the upcoming local election, but her focus on unifying, community-centered policy has already resonated with many voters frustrated by partisan infighting in recent governance cycles. As the election campaign progresses, she has planned a series of town halls across every parish of Barbuda to collect feedback from residents and refine her policy platform ahead of voting day.