PM Browne Outlines Vision to Double Antigua and Barbuda’s Economy Within a Decade
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has unveiled an ambitious plan to double Antigua and Barbuda’s economy over the next 10 years, urging a regional shift toward entrepreneurship, innovation, and local ownership.
Speaking on his Browne and Browne radio show on Pointe FM over the weekend, the Prime Minister said that if growth across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) reaches at least 7% annually, Antigua and Barbuda could see its GDP rise from $6 billion to $12 billion within a decade.
“If we’re able to achieve that level of growth, then we will transform the country’s economy,” Browne said, calling for what he described as “transformational leadership” across the sub-region.
While current growth for Antigua and Barbuda is projected at 3.3% this year, Browne stressed that geopolitical and climate-related headwinds require a shift in strategy. He advocated for the adoption of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and smarter service delivery as tools to accelerate economic expansion.
Central to the Prime Minister’s vision is the development of locally owned business infrastructure. He warned that foreign-dominated ownership structures result in profits being repatriated abroad, limiting national wealth accumulation.
“There’s a deliberate strategy by my administration,” Browne said, referencing his government’s policy of offering waterfront and beach lots to Antiguans and Barbudans for Airbnb-style developments. These initiatives are supported by duty-free concessions on construction materials and furnishings to reduce entry barriers.
“We’re not just talking, we’re doing it,” he said, encouraging other OECS governments to replicate the approach to promote both individual and collective wealth.
Browne added that achieving resilient prosperity would also require a cultural shift in the region, away from a traditional employee mindset and toward a more entrepreneurial one. “Not everyone can be an entrepreneur,” he acknowledged, “but we need more entrepreneurs and a broader ownership base.”
By increasing local wealth and capturing more of the profits domestically, Browne said governments would also see higher tax revenues, dividends, and overall GDP growth—turning incremental progress into exponential economic transformation.
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This Prime Minister can TALK the hind legs off a donkey. 🫏
His promises to this country are now reaching legendary status. Yet he’s allowed to get away with it and hold on to power. Yikes!
The day must come (and hopefully it’s not too far away) when the citizens of this great country say to Gaston Browne “enough is enough”.
And what makes these latest promises worse, is that you are hearing from he now, that it will take around 5-10 years to fulfil. Which means when he’s no longer the Prime Minister, he won’t be held accountable for fooling us once again!
How have we Antiguans allowed this INEFFABLE bore to hoodwink us for so long???
WHAT’S HE GOING TO PROMISE NEXT …
@Brixtonian
His next promise is that when the world ends Antigua is going to be Heaven and here is where all righteous people on earth will gather only he and his henchmen will not be among them
Hon.Gaston Browne your vision for Antigua and Barbuda is a MASTERPIECE. Brixtonian and the UPP followers will never COMPREHEND. You are really the WORLD BOSS.
Hon.Gaston Browne best Prime Minister in the WORLD.
Boi!!
Here we go again 🙄
Pie in the sky!!
Fooling antigua people once again!
Trupz!!!
When someone is born with a vision that many others cannot comprehend then you say his far ahead of time. When the Prime Minister sold the vision of becoming an economic powerhouse many laugh because they could not comprehend. Now that things are really happening right before their very own eyes, they are in disbelieve. You have people like Brix complaining but never ever really give you examples. On the other hand I have given many economic examples coming from renound institution like the ECCB, IMF, ECLAC and CDB. Each of these organization have year after year declared that Antigua and Barbuda has the fastest growing economy in the Caribbean and South and Latin America accept for Guyana. But we know Guyana has the fastest growing economy in the world. Then the stupid ones ask the question. So how come we don’t feel the growth? And I wonder what is it they want to feel. Should money be falling from the sky into their bank account. Lets take Guyana. They have the fastest growing economy in the world. Do all Guyanese feel it. Are they all now rich. If that was so, what are all the Guyanese that left and came to Antigua for a better life still doing here. Shouldn’t we have an exodus going back to Guyana? Antigua and Barbuda economic growth is not by chance. It’s government policy to be entrep[reneurial and do not wait on others to invest. But still go out there and atrack Foureign Investment. Of course the first was YIDA when they came in office. It started good, but it didn’t last as the owner ran into financial problems in his homeland. Unlike US Citizens, Chinese Citizens cannot just take up any amount of money out of their economy and invest it in another country. That is why many of Chinese foreign investment are government related. Investment of which we had our fair share. Presently we are seeiong the Boobey Alley project going on. And to know this is a grant. All of this is part of economic activity and would raise our GDP. the second and now the largest is the investment of PLH. Just like when Stanford was here and his investment was carrying the entire economy, so it PLH driving our economic ratio up and up. Anyone that wants a piece of that pie has to go to Barbuda and provide services to the project. But we also have Paradise Found that is again starting up and next to come on stream is the Rosewood Luxury Hotel. The Barbuda Council has so far manage to obstruct the Paradise Found investors from starting in a big way. And one investor actually gave up. PLH is however not giving up. And Robert De Nero isn’t either. It is next to see if Rooswood will be stand the many court cases and still stand strong. We will see. But the next pillar of the economy is the Global Port Holding. Antigua have not seen such a growth in cruise tourism before. and this is just the beginning. As we wait the construction of the new Cruise Terminal. As Minister Fernandez says it will be the envy of the Caribbean. And if Carnival Cruiseline come back on their promise to develop Fort James Antigua will be more then the envy of the Caribbean. But our PM is not waiting on Carnival. He is making his own plan to bring a new Yachting Harbour close to St, John’s harbour. Should this come to fruition Antigua would boost English Harbour, Falmouth Harbour, Jolly Beach and Fort Road Marina. Another way of growing the economy was the building of homes for the middle class. Paynters is for the a lust to the eye. I wish I could own a few houses in their. But they did not sold it to speculators. You had top be a first time homeowner. i mean their is so much going on in our small island that these days you just cannot find workmen for jobs and worst yet there isn’t enough cement on Island. This because the demand is so large. And cement is a very control product all over the world. These days it is worth more then gold. And yet the haters. Yes all they do is hate, have their heads stuck in the sand and even when the PM shares a vision they say he is making a promise again. Well I wish it was a promise. So that we could hold him to it.
When a lady ask former prime minister Baldwin Spencer on the radio, what was his vision for Antigua and Barbuda. He had none. But our Prime Minister has vision after vision. And as Lester Bird used to say, “Catch the Vision, Live the Dream”. These UPP haters have no vision. and they are against having vision. And without vision the people perish. So that will happen under them. We will perish.
Revelation 2:29. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85i2GxX_mzI
As much as I respect using capital to grow the economy and therefore use that capital to turn that into social development, which is how China has gotten to where it is today socialism with a Chinese twist means allowing private and foreign investment but they have very strict laws and punishment for business that breaks them. They also use the taxes to subsidise social development and lower the cost of living. have not seen anything to support that it’s only been the first part I’ve seen such as privatisation of assets and giving assets to private hands. There is nothing being done to turn the growth from private hands into development. I respect not ever taking loans from the IMP because they forces the same policy this government does unto the country the cut back of social services and selling of government assets. If you at least try to hide it better I would give you the benefit of the doubt, but it’s been blatantly obvious.
There is nothing in place to support the capturing of rich investors and it only hurts the people of Antigua by causing financial inequality, the regressive tax system only hurts the average person and does nothing to capture the wealth of the rich, and every tax system currently in can just be passed on to the average person. Increase ABST just increase the price of goods same with import duties and went you give big businesses breaks that can already afford it, only makes it harder for small business
I know @less we forget, that this person is fool.
Hey idiot, it’s not about getting rich, it’s about affordability, family sustenance, better access to basic needs for citizens, those are the places that the citizens feel the benefits of a growing economy.
So yes, people feel those basic needs when a countries economy grows, and by extension the government gets more revenue to maintain and supply it’s people with better infrastructure, therefore giving better and easier access to goods and services.
That’s how the citizens feel the growth you dumbo.
You do not raise taxes on the citizens in a growing economy and then turn around and levy more duties against them because they are working,that’s not how you do it. And yes, even though more work and people are earning a salary in Antigua, that salary cannot sustain a decent living.
And let’s look at the infrastructure in this great economy you talk about..is it a mark of a good economy where roads and government buildings have been this bad for so long? And don’t mention other structures like government buildings and services
So the question is always asked, where is all that revenue that the government received from this massive growing economy? Is it in the pockets of this massive administration?
So this why people questions the integrity of your government, because where is the money?
Well it’s certainly not in the infrastructure..because as much as the economy grew, you can find way better infrastructure in places like Barbados, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the cayman islands, and many other Caribbean islands where citizens are living much better.
And let’s face it..people only come to Antigua to work because of the slack immigration system that have no checks and balances on its outside work force.
But again, where is all that revenue from this growing economy, which I agree with by the way, that is has certainly grown?
@ Lest We Forget
Even if a country is an Economic Powerhouse all its citizens will not feel it just check most First World countries their are still pockets of poverty. If you think Antigua is an Economic Powerhouse you are just as delusional as Gaston. Your long diatribe cannot make it so