Four Caribbean nations join Antigua and Barbuda in funding UWI Five Islands Campus

Jamaica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have committed to providing financial support to the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, ending Antigua and Barbuda’s decade-long status as the institution’s sole government funder.

The commitment was made at the recently concluded UWI Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings, marking what Campus Principal Professor Justin Robinson described as a historic moment in the institution’s development.

“At the recently concluded UWI Technical Advisory Committee meetings, four Caribbean nations joined Antigua and Barbuda to provide financial support to the Five Islands Campus,” Robinson said, adding that up to that point, the Antiguan government had been the sole funder of the campus.

Robinson expressed gratitude to the four nations and called on remaining OECS member states to follow their lead.
“I really want to thank them for that faith in us and to encourage the other OECS nations to come on board as we build this OECS initiative,” he said.

The development comes as the Five Islands Campus has increasingly positioned itself as a regional institution serving the broader Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Robinson has previously argued that the campus’s greatest long-term contribution would be providing the OECS with its own research voice.

The government of Antigua and Barbuda has been a cornerstone partner since the campus’s establishment.

Robinson acknowledged the depth of that relationship, noting that the government’s financial backing had been consistent even in difficult moments.

“Sometimes when payday is coming and the cash looks a little tight, we can make a call and the money is there and we know it’s a huge sacrifice,” he said.

The campus is also pursuing a longer-term financial resilience strategy through a newly established endowment fund, which recently received approval at the University’s Financial and General Purposes committee.

The fund carries an ambitious target of US$50 million over 10 years, with returns earmarked for student scholarships, research, infrastructure, and an emergency resilience fund.

Robinson indicated a formal public launch is planned for later this year.

The broadening of government support comes as the campus records steady growth, reporting an underlying financial surplus of EC$7.9 million for the most recent academic year and targeting approximately 16% enrolment growth.