Antigua Fast-Tracks Affordable Housing as Demand Outpaces Construction Capacity

Kingston, Jamaica — 23 January 2026

The government of Antigua and Barbuda has moved to fast-track its affordable housing programme after demand from residents significantly outpaced the construction capacity of the National Housing Development and Urban Renewal Company. Cabinet has approved a call-up of qualified construction companies to support the state housing body in accelerating the delivery of homes that have already been approved and for which land has been identified, the Antigua News Room reported.

The Scale of the Challenge

The government has identified four parcels of land ready for immediate development under the accelerated housing initiative: 26 lots in Cedar Grove, 100 lots in Five Islands, 150 lots in Oliver’s, and 20 lots in Freetown. These sites collectively represent a significant volume of housing that could be delivered relatively quickly if construction companies are mobilised rapidly. The government’s decision to call in a wider pool of contractors reflects an acknowledgment that the National Housing Development and Urban Renewal Company cannot deliver at the pace required through its existing resources and staffing levels alone.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has publicly acknowledged that a shortage of skilled construction workers has been one of the factors constraining housing delivery. In a notable policy response, the government has removed the requirement for work permits for skilled workers from outside the Caribbean region, provided they register with the Labour Department. Browne confirmed this was a temporary measure designed to ensure housing developments progress unhindered while the domestic construction workforce is being expanded through additional recruitment.

The 100 Million Dollar Housing Bond

Simultaneously, the government is pursuing a 100-million-dollar housing bond intended to further accelerate the volume of new homes built annually. Browne disclosed that discussions on the bond were at an advanced stage and that securing this financing could raise annual construction to between 300 and 400 homes, with the longer-term goal being 500 homes per year. The National Housing Development and Urban Renewal Company has also been tasked with expanding its own workforce as part of the broader push to increase delivery capacity.

The 2025 budget had already allocated 100 million Eastern Caribbean dollars to new and ongoing housing projects across the country, including a 60-million-dollar grant from the People’s Republic of China to finance the construction of 150 climate-resilient, condominium-style homes at Booby Alley and other locations.

Supporting Vulnerable Households

The government has also committed to expanding the Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund to provide home improvement loan financing for individuals in vulnerable communities, and the HAPPI grant programme for home repairs has received increased funding to support more applicants in 2025. For public servants, a special window at the Caribbean Union Bank offers up to 50,000 dollars for home repairs at preferential interest rates, with the government providing a guarantee facility of five million dollars.

Caribbean Context

Antigua and Barbuda’s housing acceleration programme places it alongside Barbados, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana as Caribbean governments that have in recent months taken concrete new steps to address housing shortfalls that have been building for years. The common thread across these programmes is an acknowledgment that both the pace and the scale of housing delivery must increase substantially to meet genuine population need. Antigua’s use of a housing bond to raise private capital for public housing delivery is a financing model worth watching, as is its decision to reduce work permit barriers to skilled labour as a supply-side intervention. Both represent pragmatic responses to constraints that are holding back housing production across the region.

Source: Antigua News Room, January 2026