Antigua and Barbuda is asking assistance from the government of India in a wide
variety of areas to help with national development.
The requests were made during discussions on Thursday between the Indian High
Commission for the Eastern Caribbean, Dr. Dr. Amit Telang who paid a two-day
visit to St. John’s.
During his visit, High Commission Dr. Telang met separately with Prime Minister,
Gaston Browne, Foreign Affairs Minister, E.P Chet Greene as well as with
representatives of the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus.
A source close to the meeting said during the meetings with the government
officials a number of requests were made for technical assistance from India. “The
Antigua and Barbuda government wants to pursue sourcing medical personnel out
of India such as doctors and nurses to help boost the healthcare system in the
country,” the source said.
The requests went beyond healthcare to include education, according to the source,
as the government wants India to make available specialized teachers, especially in
the area of mathematics to join the education system here.
The government officials also voiced their concerns about sustainable energy
sources as well as food security and agriculture and they made an appeal for India
to offer technical assistance in this area as well.
In the meeting at the UWI FIC, the Indian delegation was quite pleased with the
discussions. Both sides are keen to explore areas of cooperation between Indian
universities and the UWI in a number of areas, including by offering courses
online to Caribbean students. “We discussed collaboration between the Indian
Institute for Management and Technology on how students UWI FIC can pursue
courses through this institute as well as with other to educational institutes in
India,” a team member stated.
Already, the government India offers scholarships to Antigua and Barbuda
nationals to pursue studies technical or academic courses. Recently, India offered
under its India’s Technical and Economic Cooperation programme 15 slots to
Antigua and Barbuda nationals. India has also provided defense training for
Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force’s soldiers and coast guard officers.
