Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the government has provided US $5 million to the National Housing Corporation to begin upgrades at Jolly Beach Resort, marking another phase of public investment supported by Antigua and Barbuda’s strong fiscal performance.
Speaking during a weekend discussion, Browne said the funds are already in National Housing’s account and will finance renovation works on 33 additional rooms, along with construction of a conference facility and major infrastructure improvements.
“So Jolly Beach — we just made five million US dollars available to National Housing,” Browne said. “They are now negotiating with a contractor to commence the repairs to the other 33 rooms that we said we’re going to upgrade. And in addition to that, we’re going to build out a conference facility there, upgrade the electricals and the sewer system.”
Browne said the initiative reflects the administration’s commitment to revitalizing key tourism properties while ensuring local agencies and contractors benefit directly from government projects. He emphasized that National Housing will serve as the executing agency for the works. “The first five million — thirteen point five million in total — is already in the accounts of National Housing,” he said.
The Prime Minister linked the Jolly Beach rehabilitation to broader government-led capital investments, noting that the country’s improved financial standing has allowed similar spending in other sectors. “We bought seven fire trucks, ten garbage trucks, and twenty-one million dollars’ worth of heavy equipment for Public Works,” he said. “We even bought a plane and a fifty-million-dollar crane. These things never happened under the previous administration.”
Browne said such investments are possible because of steady economic growth and sound fiscal management. “It is a function of what is happening within the economy,” he said. “When revenues increase, the government can do more, and we insist that no one must be allowed to steal those taxes or plunder them for private use.”