“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what a difference we have made in the lives of others.” –Nelson Mandela
The Honourable Samantha Marshall MP is an accomplished Attorney, Mother, and Minister of Government committed to her country and constituency. She is a champion for the advancement of women, children, and the constituents of St Mary’s South. Minister Marshall is also the founder of Women Against Rape (WAR), which champions equality and the elimination of gender-based violence in Antigua and Barbuda.
At the national level, Minister Marshall served as the Minister of Social Transformation and Human Resource Development between 2014-2020. During this period, she established a regional first – The Antigua and Barbuda Support and Referral Centre (SARC), to support victims of gender-based violence. She also piloted and introduced several pieces of legislation addressing social protection and welfare, care and custody of children, and revised laws related to domestic violence. In 2020, Minister Marshall was appointed the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Barbuda Affairs. Since then, she has led the “Revolution in Agriculture,” i.e., an expansion in production at a combined 4% in 2021, resulting in the sector becoming a more significant net contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at a record $56 million.
Minister Marshall introduced many food security and zero-hunger initiatives, including seedling distribution programmes; increased access to land for farming; training initiatives for producers and processors; the rehabilitation of ponds and water tank distribution to enhance water capture and storage; support for local livestock and other farmers to reduce the food import bill; and support for fisherfolk through fuel subsidies, duty-free waivers, and access to capital. Moreover, Minister Marshall ensured increased water supply, primarily for farmers, with the new Reverse Osmosis Plant at Ffryes Beach; and secured in excess of 1,000 lbs of donated produce to support the most vulnerable in communities during the current global cost of living crisis.
In her constituency, she secured the first fire truck for the area; constructed the St Mary’s South Community Development Centre, which facilitates the delivery of University of the West Indies (UWI – Open Campus) and other professional-development courses to constituents; ensured the development of the Lighthouse Housing Project at Jolly Hill with 75 homes to be constructed; provided land for housing in Cades Bay; and secured the renovation and expansion of the St. Mary’s Secondary School. Currently, the renovation and expansion of the Bolans Clinic and the Bolans Police and Fire Stations are nearing completion. Also, there are ongoing repairs to the Crabbe Hill and Cades Bay roads and other critical infrastructure in St Mary’s South.
Going forward, the constituency will see an Early Childhood Development Centre, Children’s Playgrounds, St Mary’s South Entrepreneurship Business Park, The Urlings Community Park, and The Bolans Sports Complex. There will be infrastructural development in the Orange Valley and Ffyres communities along with community development programmes such as the St Mary’s Beautification Project. Further, there will be the introduction of capacity-development initiatives such as the Youth Hydroponics and Aquaculture Empowerment Initiative and the SMS Renewables Training Programme.
Minister Marshall is a distinguished Attorney-at-Law and founder of Stapleton Chambers with over 15 years of practice in many areas, including family law, property law, criminal law, and constitutional law. Minister Marshall has a Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons) from Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom and a Legal Education Certificate (LEC) from the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica.
Minister Marshall is a mother of one young son. She is a practising Anglican and attends the Our Lady of the Valley Anglican Church. In her spare time, she enjoys entertaining and spending quality time with family and friends.