Hon. Sir Molwyn Joseph

Minister of Health, Wellness & The Environment

Sir Molwyn Joseph was born in the picturesque village of Jennings to the late Robert (Bobsie) Joseph and Mabel Joseph. Molwyn began his education at the Cedar Hill Moravian School in Jennings, and obtained a Primary School Certificate from the Ottos Primary School after being identified as one of the top three scholars in the nation. He graduated from Princess Margaret School and went to the USA in 1969 in pursuit of tertiary education.

As a sports enthusiast and a youngster growing up in Jennings he excelled in both cricket and football and captained several teams. At the age of 17, he was a founding member of Parish League Cricket and the first captain of the St. Mary’s Parish Cricket Team that won the first parish championship in 1968.

After graduating in 1974, he worked for the Standard Oil Company, in Ohio, later becoming a senior executive and went on to be Regional Manager of Marine Operation in L.A., California.

As someone who has always been concerned about people and an activist for positive social changes, in 1984 he entered politics as Junior Minister in the Ministry of Economic Development, Tourism and Energy under the leadership of Lester Bird.

Seven years later he became Minister of Finance and Trade renegotiating the Antiguan national debt and introducing fiscal reforms, including expenditure control and revenue improvement. Notably, he is credited with piloting the education levy and the non-contributors pension scheme legislation.

He later served as Minister for Planning, Implementation and Environment, Minister of Health and Social Improvement, and Minister of Tourism. Minister, Joseph worked to attract new visitors and investments to Antigua, increasing the number of hotel rooms, bringing new air carriers to the island and succeeding in expanding the cruise ship facilities through additional building of the Nevis Street Pier.

As a local change advocate and an international Antiguan ambassador he also led a delegation to the Heads of Government meeting in Grenada in 1985, spoke on behalf of the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States in Bangkok, Thailand and in 1995 addressed the United Nation General Assembly on the issue of climate change on behalf of Antigua and Barbuda.