CABINET NOTES: Wednesday 28th May, 2025

REPORT FROM THE CABINET OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
MEETING OF WEDNESDAY 28^th  MAY 2025

A representative of the Religious Community opened the Cabinet Meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister the Hon. Gaston Browne. The invocation included a prayer for God’s blessings upon the proceedings, as well as a request for divine guidance for each Cabinet member in the execution of their duties and responsibilities within the government.

1. The Cabinet meeting began with the Chairman commending the Honourable Minister of Housing and Works, Maria Browne, for the outstanding work being carried out by her and the team at the Works Division across the island in recent weeks. The Cabinet acknowledged the impressive scale and quality of the work being executed. It was noted that the team is highly motivated, and both the Acting Director and the Deputy Director were specifically recognized for their exceptional leadership. Minister Browne further reported that the Division’s activities will be intensified with the deployment of new equipment and the engagement of local contractors to construct concrete roads in various communities.
2. The Cabinet extended an invitation to the newly appointed Managing Director of the Mill Reef Club, Ms. Michelle Seaforth, to formally congratulate her on her recent achievement. Ms. Seaforth, a young Antiguan and Barbudan hospitality professional, brings over 15 years of experience in the industry. She has held senior roles at several local hotels and received leadership training at the prestigious Plaza Hotel in New York. She holds a Master’s degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University and a Bachelor’s degree in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University.  The Cabinet recognized her impressive ascent within the industry and lauded her as a role model and source of inspiration for young people—both male and female—across Antigua and Barbuda and the wider region. Her accomplishments were met with great pride, and the Cabinet conveyed their best wishes for her continued success, pledging their full support in her new role.
3. The Cabinet invited Permanent Secretaries, Government Heads of Department and Union Representatives to its meeting to continue dialog it started last meeting on public sector service inefficiencies, worker accountability, union relations, and efforts to reform and professionalize the public sector in Antigua and Barbuda.  The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of an interactive dialogue to address performance issues and solutions, noting that the cabinet supports initiatives to increase PNC (Performance and National Competitiveness) introduced by heads of department.  The Prime Minister acknowledged serious training gaps and the need for an active training division to collaborate in developing accredited courses that can contribute to efficiency, proficiency, and career advancement within the public sector.  He stressed that promotions should be based on competence and performance, not just length of service, to ensure qualified individuals advance and contribute effectively. 

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of aligning job descriptions with actual duties and providing necessary training to public servants, including technology and skills to adapt to the new environment.  The Prime Minister discussed performance evaluation and accountability, urging senior public servants to take appropriate action and utilize available technologies to enhance efficiency and decision-making. In this regard the Prime Minister announced that government will assume the cost of Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Department who are expected to attend the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus AI Annual Research Conference on June 23 and 24.

In addition, Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Department and other Senior Officials will be required to participate in a Public Sector Leadership Training Programme at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, designed to integrate robust content from existing proposals and globally recognized leadership frameworks, specifically leveraging insights from the Results-Based Management model and the Harvard Core Curriculum on public leadership.

Discussions also centred on the need for Permanent Secretaries and Senior Officials to familiarize themselves with the Procurement Administration Act and other Legislations and Amendments relating to their roles.

The meeting with Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Departments, and Union Officials was both robust and productive, with key challenges and potential solutions thoroughly discussed. A designated team has been tasked with preparing an outcome document to guide implementation across all government departments. To ensure continuity in the dialogue, a team of senior officials will be invited to the Cabinet meeting next week to further the discussions.

4. The Chairman, Director, and Members of the National Parks Authority, along with representatives from the Sailing Academy and a prospective investor, were invited to Cabinet to discuss a proposed development aimed at transforming the Sailing Academy into a regional training facility. The project was formally presented, and a review team comprising Cabinet members and the developers was established to assess the proposal and report back to Cabinet.  The Cabinet commended the Sailing Academy for its outstanding contribution to youth development, particularly its efforts in introducing and training over 300 students from government primary schools in the sport of sailing. The Cabinet also pledged its full support for the Academy’s continued growth and development initiatives.
5. Cabinet invited the Director of the National Office of Disaster Services, Mr. Sherrod James and the Deputy Director Mr. Craig Cole, to update the body on the country’s readiness for the upcoming hurricane season.  The Cabinet was advised that the Shelters List has been published and Local Directors are being trained to manage the shelters. The Cabinet was informed that the division is in discussion with one of their partners for the procurement of purpose-built shelters with the ability to house over two hundred persons.  The plan is to procure one of these shelters for Barbuda and two for Antigua.  The Cabinet was advised of the need for drains, waterways and ponds to be cleaned leading up to the start of the hurricane season.  Cabinet immediately approved the assignment of two long-boom excavators to NODS for this purpose. Cabinet also allocated funding for the immediate improvement of NODS Communications capabilities.