Former MP Arthur Nibbs is among the first Barbudans approved to receive a freehold land certificate after Cabinet endorsed the island’s first set of freehold titles.

The announcement came on Thursday during the weekly post-Cabinet briefing. Maurice Merchant, Director General of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister, shared the decision.

The first certificates will go to Former MP Arthur Nibbs, Atian Davis, the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard, Chaz Askey, and Eva Askey-George.

Merchant called the move a historic step for Barbuda. He said the certificates will give recipients legal ownership of their land. He added that they can transfer, inherit, or use the land as an asset in the future.

The certificates form part of the government’s land empowerment programme. The programme allows eligible Barbudans to buy up to one acre of land for EC$1.

People who occupy more than one acre must complete a land survey. Officials will also carry out an independent valuation of the additional land. That process will help regularise ownership.

Merchant said the new certificates will also support the creation of the Barbuda Land Registry. The registry will create an official record of land ownership on the island.

According to the government, the registry will improve land administration. It will also provide greater clarity and strengthen security for property owners.

Land ownership remains a major issue in Barbuda. The government’s plan to introduce individual freehold ownership has faced opposition from some residents. They continue to support the island’s traditional communal land system.

Despite that debate, the government says the programme gives eligible Barbudans legally recognised ownership while modernising the island’s land system.

The approval of the first certificates marks the start of the initiative. Former MP Arthur Nibbs is among the first recipients under the programme, which the government says will lay the foundation for a new system of land ownership and registration in Barbuda.