ANTIGUA-Government to launch portal next year showing all government contracts.

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the government will next year launch a public “citizens’ portal” where all government purchases and contracts will be published as part of a broader governance reform effort sparked by recent controversy over vehicle acquisitions within state entities.

Speaking on his weekly radio programme, Prime Minister Browne said the new platform will allow any member of the public to review state spending.

“We’ll have a citizens portal. So all the purchases that we make, all the contracts that we give will be on that portal so that anybody can go and examine.”

The issue surfaced in October after reports indicated that several government vehicles were procured for various ministries without full Cabinet or ministerial approval, prompting questions about procurement oversight and the handling of public assets.

Housing and Works Minister Maria Browne, who is also the prime minister’s wife, has rejected calls for her resignation amid public pressure for an independent probe into the controversy now known as “Vehicle-Gate.”

Browne has insisted that her ministry’s role has been misrepresented, telling reporters, “the vehicles were purchased without proper authority. The 30 vehicles were returned. It’s as simple as that, clean cut,” adding that efforts to connect her ministry to a separate customs-related duty-free matter are misplaced.

On his radio programme, Prime Minister Browne linked the initiative to concerns raised during the vehicle-purchase dispute and said the government intends to strengthen oversight systems to prevent misuse of state resources.

He described instances of individuals resisting accountability measures and suggested that the portal will help curb abuse by making procurement information fully accessible.

Browne said the administration is actively “plugging gaps” across government systems and expects the digital portal to form a central part of a modernized procurement framework in the coming year.