Former MP Arthur Nibbs Among First to Receive Freehold Land Certificate in Barbuda

The Cabinet has approved the first freehold land certificates for Barbuda, a move the government says will provide recipients with legally recognized ownership of their land.

Maurice Merchant, director general of communications in the Office of the Prime Minister, announced the decision Thursday during the weekly post-Cabinet news briefing.

The inaugural certificates will be issued to Atian Davis; former Barbuda MP Arthur Nibbs; the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard; Chaz Askey; and Eva Askey-George.

Merchant described the decision as a historic step toward creating Barbuda’s first land registry and establishing a modern system for administering land on the island.

“For the first time since the settlement of Barbuda, Barbudans will hold legal freehold title to their lands, providing families with secure ownership, legal certainty and an asset that can be transferred, inherited or leveraged for future economic opportunities,” Merchant said.

The certificates are being issued under the government’s land empowerment programme, which allows eligible Barbudans to acquire up to one acre of land for EC$1.

People who occupy parcels larger than one acre will have the additional land professionally surveyed and independently valued as part of the process to regularize their ownership.

Merchant said the certificates represent more than an administrative development and will provide the legal foundation for the establishment of the Barbuda Land Registry.

The government said the registry would provide greater clarity and transparency in land administration while improving security of tenure for property owners.

Land ownership in Barbuda has long been a contentious issue, with the government’s push to introduce individual freehold ownership facing opposition from some Barbudans who support the island’s traditional communal land system.

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