{"id":16218,"date":"2025-11-10T20:37:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T20:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/?p=16218"},"modified":"2025-11-10T20:44:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T20:44:38","slug":"young-leadership-bold-vision-minister-anthony-smith-jr-champions-the-blue-economy-on-global-stage-by-marver-woodley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/2025\/11\/10\/young-leadership-bold-vision-minister-anthony-smith-jr-champions-the-blue-economy-on-global-stage-by-marver-woodley\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Leadership, Bold Vision: Minister Anthony Smith Jr. Champions the Blue Economy on Global Stage\u00a0by Marver Woodley"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mumbai, India \u2014 November 2025<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

Recently, the Honourable Anthony Smith Jr., Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s dynamic Minister of Agriculture, Land, Fisheries and the Blue Economy, made waves on the global stage during India Maritime Week 2025, where he participated in the second edition of Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue\u2014one of the world\u2019s leading ocean and maritime policy events.<\/p>\n

Representing the twin-island nation, Minister Smith took part as a key panellist in Plenary 8: Oceans of Opportunity \u2013 <\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>Re<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>–<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>imagining<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0the Global Blue Economy<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/strong>, where he joined\u00a0other ministers, policymakers, and international industry leaders in\u00a0discussions on\u00a0how nations can harness the potential of the oceans while protecting the planet and empowering their people.<\/p>\n

With a commanding yet youthful presence, Minister Smith\u2019s contribution to the discussion drew strong attention and admiration. Speaking passionately on capacity building and human capital development, he emphasized\u00a0that the Blue Economy must be people-centred, driven by innovation, inclusion, and education.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur greatest ocean resource isn\u2019t only the sea\u2014it\u2019s our people,\u201d the Minister declared. \u201cTo truly unlock the Blue Economy, we must invest in our youth, empower our women, and create opportunities that allow small island states like ours to lead with resilience and purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

He highlighted Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s strides in Blue Economy development, showcasing the government\u2019s commitment to training, research, and partnerships, particularly through the Centre of Excellence for Ocean and Blue Economy (COBE)\u2014a flagship initiative focused on empowering the next generation of ocean leaders.<\/p>\n

The Minister also reaffirmed Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s belief that education and regional collaboration are key to transforming the Caribbean\u2019s Ocean future. His remarks received an enthusiastic response\u2014not just from his ministerial peers\u2014but from the many young professionals and students in the audience who viewed his message as both relatable and inspiring.<\/p>\n

Following the plenary, Minister Smith engaged in lively discussions with environmental engineers and researchers from the Indian Institute of Engineering and the Indian Institute of Science, exploring new partnerships in ocean technology, marine innovation, and sustainability research.<\/p>\n

Accompanied by Ms. Marver Woodley, Senior Operations and Policy Manager within the Department of the Blue Economy, the Minister\u2019s presence at Sagarmanthan underscored Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s growing reputation as a Caribbean leader in sustainable ocean development.<\/p>\n

As one of the youngest government ministers in the region, Smith\u2019s participation signals a new generation of leadership\u2014one that blends vision with action, and diplomacy with determination. His message in Mumbai was clear: the future of the Blue Economy belongs to the bold, the skilled, and the prepared\u2014with Antigua and Barbuda is ready to lead.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\" <\/a>\"\"<\/a> \"\"\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Mumbai, India \u2014 November 2025 Recently, the Honourable Anthony Smith Jr., Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s dynamic Minister of Agriculture, Land, Fisheries and the Blue Economy, made waves on the global […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-notices"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16218"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16232,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16218\/revisions\/16232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}