St. George MP Algernon Watts has challenged the government’s claim that it has borrowed only $100 million for road repairs, pointing to additional loans and grants exceeding $300 million that have been allocated for road rehabilitation projects over the years.
Speaking in Parliament during the debate on the Vehicles, Road, and Traffic Amendment Bill 2025, Watts detailed a series of financial commitments that he said contradict the Prime Minister’s assertion about the total amount borrowed. He referenced a $45.9 million Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) loan in 2017 for the rehabilitation of Anchorage Road, Sir Sydney Walling Highway, Old Parham Road, and Valley Road North, along with a UK CIF grant in the same year for the upgrading of Friars Hill Road. He further cited a $26.69 million CDB loan in 2021 and another $35 million in 2023 for roadworks.
Watts also referenced a recent statement from the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Lionel Max Hurst, which indicated that the government could not access additional funds from the CDB because previous loans for road rehabilitation had already exceeded $300 million.
“If that statement is accurate, then why are we now being told that only $100 million has been borrowed?” Watts asked. “We need full transparency on how these funds have been used, and until that is provided, I cannot support placing additional financial burdens on the people of Antigua and Barbuda.”
The MP further questioned the lack of accountability and oversight in road repair projects, pointing to long delays and unfinished work despite repeated financial injections. He singled out Old Parham Road, stating that while the government claims it was repaired, significant portions remain untouched.
Watts also took issue with the proposed increase in vehicle-related taxes, which the government says will fund further infrastructure work. “We have already paid for road repairs multiple times through borrowing and grants, and yet, the roads remain in poor condition,” he said. “Now, the government wants the people to pay even more while refusing to account for the money already spent.”