Our Partners

Antigua and Barbuda in the Commonwealth

did you know?

• Antigua and Barbuda joined the Commonwealth in 1981
• Antigua and Barbuda became an independent country on the 1st of November 1981
• Antigua and Barbuda has participated in the Commonwealth Games since 1966
• Sir Vivian Richards, born in St John's in 1952, was Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 1976, 1978 and 1980
• Curtly Ambrose, born in Swetes, St Paul, Antigua, in 1963, received the same accolade in 1991
• Jamaica Kincaid, born Elaine Potter Richardson in St John's in 1949, has been heralded as the 'most important West Indian woman writing today'
• Antigua alone has about 365 beaches - one for every day of the year!
• Antigua and Barbuda has the most mobile cellular subscribers per capita in the Commonwealth, 1,336 for every 1,000 people (2007) which is more than twice the number per capita for Canada

Commonwealth Projects

Improving Capacity for Public Sector for ICT Development (2007/08)
The Commonwealth Secretariat commissioned a project that featured the development of a national information and communications technology strategy. Advice was also provided to the National ICT Task Force and the Ministry of Information Broadcasting and Telecommunications to develop and implement a Strategy and Action Plan.

Tourism Master Plan for Antigua and Barbuda (2007/08)
This project was funded by the Commonwealth and was aimed at designing a tourism master plan through consultative process in order to set realistically sustainable goals and targets given the need to balance environmental, social and economic interests of the various stakeholders.

Voter Registration in Antigua and Barbuda (2003 - ongoing)
This was a project commissioned by the Commonwealth Secretariat aimed at advancing, under the ongoing programme, the democratic ethic. An expert team undertook an assessment of the credibility of the voter registration process. The team was present for the voter registration process and reviewed the factors impinging on its credibility which could determine whether it would provide a sound basis for continued preparations for the General Elections.

Export Promotion for Small Scale Garment Manufacture (1997/8 - 2001/2)
The Commonwealth's aim for this project was to develop an export-orientated, high-quality, small-scale manufacturing industry in Antigua. This project has now been successfully completed.

Capacity Building in Legislative Drafting (1997/8 - ongoing)
This project is funded by the Commonwealth which set out to assist the government in focussing on fiscal reform and economical structural adjustment. Given the high demand for legislative re-drafting and the preparation of new legislation, this project is funded on an ongoing basis whilst local legislative drafter counterparts are trained.

International Trade

Antigua and Barbuda has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995.

CARICOM Logo

Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) formulates policies regarding health, education, labor, science and technology, tourism, foreign policy, and the environment.