The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) officially launched its general election manifesto on Monday at the American University of Antigua Conference Centre, centring a US$1.5 billion tourism investment pipeline alongside expanded housing and healthcare programmes as the cornerstones of its bid for a fourth consecutive term in government.
According to Antigua.news, the 100-page document was unveiled before an audience of ABLP supporters, business leaders, diplomats and youth. Ministers Charles Fernandez and Maria Browne delivered substantive policy addresses ahead of the Prime Minister's keynote remarks.
Fernandez, the Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transport and Investment, framed tourism as the central driver of the party's economic agenda. Seeking to retain his St John's Rural North seat, he outlined a series of major capital projects he said would collectively attract approximately US$1.5 billion in investment over the next 24 to 36 months.
"Tourism is not merely an industry in Antigua and Barbuda. It is the lifeblood of our economy. It is the engine of growth, the foundation of thousands of livelihoods, and one of the strongest pillars supporting our national development," Fernandez said.
Among the projects cited were the US$465 million development at Half Moon Bay, the US$400 million Nikki Beach Residences, a US$40 million Buccaneer Beach project, a new Marriott Hotel at Yepton Beach, the renovation of Jolly Beach Resort, a US$55 million upgrade of V.C. Bird International Airport, a US$40 million waterfront development and a US$23 million local brewery venture.
Fernandez also announced that the Ediacaran Hotel Limited Long Bay development is scheduled to break ground in May, while La Mer Estate, a luxury residential development in Willoughby Bay, has entered phase one with 10 of 44 units already under construction.
"Our vision is not tourism for tourism's sake," Fernandez said. "It is tourism for jobs, tourism for earnings, tourism for enterprise, tourism for ownership and opportunity for the people of Antigua and Barbuda."
Maria Browne, Minister of Works and Housing and MP for St John's Rural East, outlined the party's infrastructure and housing commitments, describing the sector as the "foundation of the renaissance." She noted that over $100 million secured for the redevelopment of All Saints Road and the rehabilitation of roads and drains nationwide has yet to be drawn down by the government.
Browne listed Sir George Walter Highway, Friars Hill Road, Old Parham Road, Anchorage Road, Valley Road North and Sir Sydney Walling Highway among the corridors already rebuilt under the current administration.
"In this Renaissance, roads are not cosmetic. They are economic lifelines," Browne said. "They reduce cost, improve safety, support business, and connect opportunity to every doorstep."
On housing, Browne committed the party to delivering at least 120 new homes in 2026 through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHAPA) in Bolans, Glanvilles and North Sound, with a further 150 homes to be added by National Housing. She confirmed the Booby Alley project will be completed, and announced new projects scheduled for St Johnson's Village — to be undertaken by CHAPA following the relocation of Clarevue Hospital to Seaview Farm — as well as a new development in Cedar Valley later this year.
Browne also announced the introduction of a Rent-to-Own Housing Programme targeted at working families who do not yet qualify for a mortgage, along with the release of 50 acres of land at McPond in All Saints. She said 35 acres would be made available for affordable residential plots with flexible long-term payment options, while the remaining land would be used to regularise tenure for families already occupying it.
"Land ownership must not be out of reach for ordinary people," Browne said. "This is what fairness looks like. This is what empowerment feels like."
