Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced that government spending on a major expansion of the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus is expected to begin by the third quarter of this year, as part of a broader effort to strengthen education and workforce development across Antigua and Barbuda.
According to Antigua News Room, Browne made the announcement during an appearance on the Browne and Browne programme, confirming that more than $200 million has been earmarked for the campus expansion.
"We're spending over $200 million [on the] UWI Five Islands campus," Browne said, outlining the scale of the planned investment.
On the project's timeline, the prime minister said groundwork is already taking shape. "That spend should commence by about… if not second, by the third quarter of this year, the latest," he said.
Browne framed the initiative as a strategic investment in human capital, aimed at equipping Antiguans and Barbudans with skills suited to a modern economy. "We want to make sure that we develop modern skills for our people," he said.
The prime minister indicated that new academic programmes, including law and banking and finance, are under consideration as part of the campus's continued development. A key objective, he noted, is reducing the country's reliance on imported labour in critical sectors.
Browne described the expansion as central to the government's long-term development strategy, arguing that investment in education is essential to expanding economic opportunity and securing sustainable growth.
