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.