More jobs, homes, scholarships, financial incentives, and economic expansion under the next PPP/C term

…as PPP unveils bold vision at Party’s manifesto consultation

President Irfaan Ali has outlined several of the policy initiatives that the new People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government will roll out over the next five years in office to continue the development of Guyana.
He, along with the party’s General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, on Wednesday held a consultation session at the Ramada Princess Hotel, Providence, with stakeholders on the PPP’s 2025 manifesto, which will be launched later this month.
According to Ali, who is seeking re-election for a second term in office, the 2025 manifesto will guide strategies for job creation, improving livelihoods, expanding economic opportunities and involving young people in this new economy that is being built out.
These grand plans being introduced include more cash grants, the lowering of certain taxes, the creation of new jobs, the opening up of new lands, and the establishment of all-inclusive resorts within the country, among others.
With promises of increases in salary for public servants, in pensions and in public assistance, the Head of State pointed out that the vision is to enhance citizens’ welfare and create new opportunities for them to invest and earn variable incomes.
“That is exactly what we want to pursue: where the ordinary household can invest in various opportunities in the country, diversify their revenue… for themselves and create prosperity,” he stated.
To do this, the president pointed to plans by the PPP to establish a development bank to finance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), open up 100,000 acres of new lands for cultivation and co-invest in agro-processing hubs.

Expanded scholarships
These interventions, he noted, require requisite skills – something which the PPP/C has already laid the foundation to bolster the local education system into a world-class one. He noted that it is important for young people to understand the opportunities that are available in the local economy so that they can pursue those.
It is for that reason the party intends to expand its scholarship programme with a focus on more areas of specialisation. But with the University of Guyana (UG) now tuition-free, there has been a massive uptake in applications. As such, Guyana is now in talks with private universities – both local and international – to match the rates that the Government is covering.
“Many of the private universities would have written to us and said, ‘Listen, we can offer the same degree programme that UG is offering at universities in the United Kingdom (UK) and other places at the same rate that the University of Guyana is charging.’ So, they want to be involved in that programme, and because of the high demand that is coming in at the University of Guyana now, we will be consulting with those providers to see how we can include them in the free education programme up to that value,” Ali posited.

Homeownership push
Moreover, the PPP plans to continue its aggressive housing drive by fast-tracking house lot applications and expanding the current incentive regimes to encourage home ownership.
“We’re going to continue to find new and innovative ways in which we can make it even easier for you to own your own homes with interest rates, tax incentives, financial incentives [and] subsidies… We are going to expand that existing framework because we want every single Guyanese family to own their own home in five years,” he noted.
In addition to affordable homes, another key priority of the next PPP Administration is modern, safe and stronger communities. This will not only see improved infrastructure but also enhanced security with the use of technology.
According to Ali, the electronic ticketing (e-ticketing) system rolled out earlier this year will be bolstered by the E-Identification (ID) Card initiative that will come on stream within the year to make Guyana’s security architecture more agile and remove human biases that currently exist.
Moreover, he added that the countrywide street lighting programme, along with leveraging the power of religious organisations, will also form part of this ‘safe community’ agenda. Additionally, the Government is also working on a new technology to support women who are victims of domestic violence and other forms of violence, which will see faster responses from law enforcement.
“So, technology is going to be a major part of what we’re doing: affordable homes and stronger communities,” Ali stated.

Sport tourism
Last weekend, at the PPP’s campaign launch, Ali announced plans to build a massive indoor arena in Guyana. This, he told stakeholders at Wednesday’s consultation, would be crucial to not just the tourism product that the country is creating but also the massive investments being undertaken in the hospitality sector, such as hotel construction.
That arena, he explained, would host international events like boxing and concerts. In fact, Ali pointed to the ongoing ExxonMobil Global Super League cricket tournament in Guyana – a locally crafted event – that is already attracting worldwide attention and participation in just its second year.
Similarly, the president noted that hosting international events like concerts in Guyana would create the opportunity for local artistes to perform.
“We want our artistes to be performing all over the world. That is why we want to invest in infrastructure to support them, not only the studios but grants, so that they can enhance their own skillset… If we can bring five or six international concerts here and ensure that they are given the opportunity to be showcased on those stages, it gives them presence,” Ali stressed.

All-inclusive resorts
Further, with Guyana having already created a niche as an ecotourism hotspot, the president noted that this will be further boosted.
“Major investments are coming from leaders in ecotourism – ecotourism services, nature-based tourism. We have all-inclusive results that are coming, already in the pipeline, and already in the final stages of discussion. These are the things that will create the next level of opportunities and wealth for our country,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Head of State went on to talk about the work that is being done to position Guyana as the food hub of the Caribbean through the removal of regional trade barriers and efforts to ease the transport and logistics woes in the region.
He cited the recent agreement with Bloomberg Grains to build a world-class processing facility and assist Guyana in accessing all the global markets, which will further create opportunities and wealth for locals.
Ali highlighted the PPP’s strong track record of support for the local agriculture industry, assuring that traditional sectors like rice will continue to be given priority. In order to achieve price stability, he spoke about the setting up of a stabilisation fund for rice farmers as well as storage and drying facilities to house the growing production.
“We have worked for years on getting insurance for our rice farmers. Today, we have been successful in getting insurance for 6000 rice farmers, and we’re going to launch insurance very soon,” he added.
Moreover, President Ali underscored the importance of having youths and women in agriculture and reassured the PPP’s commitment to support and encourage these groups to invest in this sector.

Low tax on vehicles
“We have to prepare our young people for this opportunity. When we speak to our young people, some of the things that they want [are] access to vehicles. You want low loan taxes on vehicles… We’re going to have a special mechanism through which four-door vehicles, the four-door pickup, will come at low taxes,” he declared.
According to Ali, while the new PPP/C Government will pursue a taxation system that is going to lower the tax burden, improve tax compliance, and put more money back into citizens’ pockets, this will only work if persons comply and pay their taxes.
“Once this happens, more or less incentives can be given to the population,” he assured.
Among other plans for the future are a massive overhaul of the country’s financial system aimed at removing the bureaucracy in the banking sector and improving online banking services, access to financing for businesses, and investment opportunities.

Updating migration laws
However, with Guyana undergoing an unprecedented development over the past five years, there has been a constant decry within various industries, especially from the private sector, about the storage of workers in the country. In fact, the situation has forced many contractors executing major infrastructure projects to import labour.
To continue this rapid pace of development, Ali said his Government is now in the final stages of reviewing the migration and labour laws, looking at practices in other countries, to create a local migration policy and strategy.
“The Attorney General’s office… [has] already drafted the framework for that new legislation because we need the people to push this development, but we are going to ensure one thing – we maximise what we have here,” the president contended.
Moreover, with much of Guyana’s current transformation propelled by its burgeoning oil and gas sector, President Ali emphasised the importance of creating sustainable, long-lasting wealth through other sectors like mining.
In fact, he disclosed that by 2027, there will be two of the largest mining operations, outside oil and gas, in South America here in Guyana. Already, one of the companies has started recruitment and is looking for over 1200 workers – something that is proving to be a challenge; hence, the president pointed to the need for the importation of labour.