Prime Minister Gaston Browne says Senator Kendra Beazer will be appointed to oversee and coordinate major development projects in Barbuda through a new joint consultative committee being established by the government.
Speaking on Pointe FM on Saturday, Browne said the committee will help monitor infrastructure and land development initiatives already planned for the island, including road expansion, housing and renewable energy projects.
“We’ll be setting up the joint consultative committee very shortly,” Browne said. “And we’ll be employing Senator Beazer to head that particular joint consultative committee and to be the person, the point guard, to deal with certain projects, to monitor and ensure the efficacious implementation of various projects.”
Beazer contested the April 30 general election on behalf of the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party in Barbuda but was unsuccessful against the incumbent Barbuda People’s Movement candidate.
Browne made the announcement while outlining a series of planned investments for Barbuda, including construction of a new airport terminal, expansion of the island’s road network and a transition toward full renewable energy.
The Prime Minister said approximately $30 million has already been approved through the Caribbean Development Bank for road construction projects in Barbuda and that additional arrangements have been made with PLH to support further infrastructure works.
Browne also said the government intends to move ahead with a new land registry system and the parcelization of land in areas such as Louis Hill as part of broader efforts to modernize land administration on the island.
The Prime Minister suggested the committee could also play a role in improving cooperation between the central government and the Barbuda Council, which he said had repeatedly declined invitations to participate in joint consultations with Cabinet.
“We’ve invited them to Cabinet on the Joint Cooperative Mechanism which was set up by the Commonwealth some years ago,” Browne said. “They have refused to participate.”