Prime Minister Gaston Browne has called on citizens and residents to play a larger role in Antigua and Barbuda’s National Day of Prayer, saying next year’s observance “will be bigger and better.”

Speaking at the Antigua Recreation Ground, Mr Browne likened the event to Carnival and other national celebrations, urging people to see it as “quintessential” and a time to give thanks and praise. He described the annual observance as a means of fostering peace, unity, and national development.

Both government and opposition MPs joined Thursday’s March of Witness through St John’s, followed by a prayer service at the ARG. The event was first introduced in 2024, after rising crime and violence prompted the government to declare the second Thursday in September a public holiday dedicated to prayer.

The prime minister noted that crime had declined since the initiative began, saying, “we have seen a reduction… that position we can always give thanks.”

Mr Browne praised the organisers and faith leaders for their continued commitment to “lift up the nation and its people in prayers,” while encouraging broader participation in the years ahead.