$3M per hinterland village for home upgrades, $1M for sport facilities – VP

…US$124M being invested in just 3 hinterland hospitals

…$4B payout earmarked from carbon credit sales

On the second day of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) conference, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo addressed Indigenous leaders gathered at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) outlining a series of initiatives the Government plans to roll out in their communities.
This includes the millions of dollars that each community for home upgrades for individual residents. It was announced that a home upgrade subsidy will be rolled out in indigenous communities. According to VP Jagdeo in his address to the Toshaos, this is being done following requests from the villages themselves.
“We’ve had some requests for this. So apart from everything else you’ll be getting this year, I had a discussion with the President earlier today. So, each of these villages will get $3 million to assist people with housing upgrades. So, they’ll be managed by the village councils. So, people need help, they will get the help,” Jagdeo said.

In addition, the Government will be distributing $1 million each year for sporting facilities, allowing villages to develop their sports ground. The VP also assured indigenous communities that the money they get from the sale of carbon credits, which will total $4 billion this year, will remain untouched, as the Government will still maintain their public infrastructure.
“So far, the first year was US$22.7 million. The second year was US$23.27 million and this year, it will also. Although we have received less this year, we have kept the US$23.27 million to be given to the community. So, in the first year, it was 15 per cent as we agreed,” Jagdeo explained.
The allocation in the second year stood at 26 per cent, largely due to reduced revenue that year. This year, the figure has dropped to approximately 21 per cent, just under 22 per cent, of the available resources. According to VP Bharrat Jagdeo, the Government maintained the level of funding allocated to villages despite this year’s lower receipts.
Notably, these allocations do not include several major investments currently underway. Among them are US$15 million for the construction of solar farms and US$2 million per month to maintain internet hubs across the hinterland. In addition, the Government is injecting US$124 million into hinterland healthcare, which includes the construction of three new hospitals.
“We expanded healthcare enormously. We just awarded three and we’re going to award a fourth contract in the hinterland. In Kato, a hospital for US$27 million. In Moruca, one for US$21 million.”
“And in Lethem, its US$31 million. And when you add the US$15 million to equip the hospital, each of these hospitals, its US$124 million we’re going to be spending in just three hospitals I’m talking about,” the VP added.
The Government has been implementing its ‘steel and cement’ initiative, which was launched at GuyExpo in 2022. The initiative was first developed after meetings that Government had with residents of Laing Avenue, after the cost of upgrading and repairing their homes became one of the chief concerns raised.
This year, Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal had explained that Government subsidies such as the steel and cement initiative, will continue throughout the year. He had also noted that the Government is implementing home improvement subsidies in areas such as Laing Avenue, Georgetown.
Phase one of the programme targeted 60 families who would receive $250,000 vouchers each, totaling $15 million, to go towards home repairs. The overall goal of the project is to ensure approximately 200 families benefit from it.
When it comes to healthcare and the building of new hospitals, Guyana’s public health sector received a whopping $129.8 billion budgetary allocation, the largest budgetary allocation ever for the sector.
Six regional hospitals are currently under construction and are expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2025. Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony had announced during the Health Ministry’s year-end press briefing, that the Ministry plans to commission the Lima, De Kinderen, Diamond, Bath, Enmore and Number 75 Regional Hospitals by June 2025.