Prime Minister Gaston Browne has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to “investing in people” as the cornerstone of Antigua and Barbuda’s development strategy, announcing a sweeping series of initiatives aimed at improving healthcare, education, and housing.

Delivering his 2025 Independence Address, Browne outlined transformative projects designed to elevate the nation’s quality of life and foster inclusive growth.

Among the major investments are:
•⁠ ⁠A state-of-the-art renal centre, equipped to offer both dialysis and transplant services;
•⁠ ⁠The conversion of the former Jehovah’s Witness headquarters into a world-class mental health and wellness facility;
•⁠ ⁠A US $200 million expansion of the University of the West Indies (Five Islands Campus) — adding dormitories, laboratories, and advanced research spaces.

UWI Five Islands extension plans

“These investments represent independence in action,” the Prime Minister declared. “Every classroom we open, every home we build, every patient we heal — that is the true meaning of progress.”

Booby Alley housing project

Browne also reiterated the government’s target of maintaining at least 6 percent annual GDP growth over the next five years, emphasizing that economic advancement must be inclusive, job-generating, and poverty-reducing.

The Prime Minister further noted that the private sector will play a critical role in sustaining this growth trajectory, with large-scale resort and infrastructure developments set to create thousands of new employment opportunities.

Renal Centre at Holberton Hospital site under construction

As Antigua and Barbuda celebrates its 44th year of independence, Browne’s message was clear: the nation’s future strength lies in its people — and in building the systems that allow them to thrive.