Antigua Defends GPH Partnership as Regional Ports Follow Suit
Antigua and Barbuda’s Tourism Minister, Charles Fernandez, has defended the country’s partnership with Global Ports Holding (GPH), saying it has set a precedent for other Caribbean nations.
In 2020, Antigua became the first regional country to collaborate with GPH, despite early skepticism. Fernandez dismissed claims at the time that GPH lacked funding or would harm the cruise sector.
“We saw what was happening, and we had to act,” he said. “We realized we needed a strong partner to take us forward.”
Since then, countries such as The Bahamas, Jamaica, St Lucia and Puerto Rico have signed similar agreements with GPH, which operates ports worldwide.
Fernandez said the partnership had boosted Antigua’s cruise tourism prospects and drawn interest from major cruise lines. He described the upcoming expansion of port facilities as “a necessary step” to ensure long-term competitiveness.
Groundbreaking for the project’s landside facilities is expected soon, but Fernandez acknowledged delays in relocating B’s Funeral Home, which occupies a key site.
He cited a surge in local construction activity as a factor, with demand for materials outpacing supply.
“We are a victim of our own success,” he said.
Fernandez argued that partnerships like the one with GPH are critical to driving growth across the tourism sector. He added that the benefits extend to taxi operators, vendors and tour guides, among others.
The minister urged critics to focus on the results. “It’s not about waiting for others to lead the way—it’s about taking bold steps when the opportunity arises.
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I remember when Dondo Head Serpent picketed against this. Taxidriver “Chalky” joined him too. Now today that sme Chalky is reaping the benefits of homeporting, increased visitor arrivals etc etc
Even LAZY ALEX BROWNE tun taxidriver to gobble up the $$$$$ from this flourishing tourism economy under this ABLP Administration!!
All the ministers are under the neocolinial masters control by their cooked up commonwealth heads of government by the UK, to control all economic resources are opportunities, what if this global port is working with the Columbian to get their stuff into certain market in a legit way and bypass the US coastguard on the sea by using the cruise ships, I am not so foolish, a white man will always use us as a hand to create wealth for their race, our ministers never made any decisions, they are asked like children to come over to sign documents they have no clue of what it entails, they are always infantillised. But if these modern young leaders conscience can approve the continuous wealth generation for white monopoly capital while their black people remain impoverished with they getting a few pence they are murderers, when they travel to the USA and see one sky scraper and imagine the ownership and imagine the amount of rentals fee’s collected on a monthly basis, how can you continue to thief pennies and leave your people in poverty, it takes all of us to come up to a fraction of the wealth of white monopoly capital domination, but if our leaders think them bad, just empower the black owners of this lands the economic resources and they will be in trouble with their puppet masters because they are stooge for a fee.
All the ministers are under the neocolinial masters control of this cooked up commonwealth heads of government by the UK, to control all economic resources and opportunities, what if this global port is working with the Columbian to get their stuff into certain market worldwide in a legit way and bypass the US coastguard on the sea by using the cruise ships, I am not so foolish, a white man will always use us as a hand to create wealth for their race, our ministers never made any decisions, they are asked like children to come over to sign documents they have no clue of what it entails, they are always infantillised. But if these modern young leaders conscience can approve the continuous wealth generation for white monopoly capital while their black people remain impoverished while they getting a few pence they are murderers, when they travel to the USA and see one sky scraper and imagine the ownership and imagine the amount of rentals fee’s collected on a monthly basis, how can you continue to thief pennies and leave your people in poverty, it takes all of us to come up to a fraction of the wealth of white monopoly capital domination, but if our leaders think them bad, just empower the black owners of this lands with the economic resources and they will be in trouble with their puppet masters because they are stooge for a fee.
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