Tag: update

 

A 65-year-old Cuban national died on Wednesday in a multi-vehicle collision on the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge Access Road, East Bank Demerara, police said.
The pedestrian, Gerardo Machado Valdivia, of Providence, East Bank Demerara, died after being struck by a car while attempting to cross the road at about 06:42, police said.
Police said motor car PAG 6631, driven by a 22-year-old man of Hague Front, West Coast Demerara, was proceeding west along the southern carriageway when Valdivia attempted to cross from south to north. The driver applied brakes and swerved but the vehicle’s right-side front struck the pedestrian, according to police.
Valdivia was flung onto the northern carriageway, sustaining injuries to his head and body, police said. The driver of PAG 6631 then lost control, colliding with the concrete median before spinning onto the northern carriageway, where it struck motor car PAM 2461, driven by a 28-year-old woman of Recht-Door-Zee, West Bank Demerara, and motor hire car HC 723, driven by a 54-year-old man of Onderneeming, West Bank Demerara. Both vehicles were proceeding east along the road, police said.
Emergency medical technicians were called to the scene, where Valdivia was examined by a doctor on duty and pronounced dead, police said.
His body was taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home Mortuary to await a post-mortem examination.

 

A $421.2 million annex will rise at St Joseph’s High School as officials today turned the sod, launching an expansion project that will ease overcrowding by creating space for 250 additional students.

The project, funded by the World Bank, will be executed by Khemraj Nauth Incorporated and is expected to be completed within 10 months, with an April 2027 deadline.

The ceremony was attended by First Lady Arya Ali, an alumna of the school; Education Minister Sonia Parag; Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Stephen Jacobs; World Bank Senior Education Specialist Lauren Marston; and Ministry of Education officials, teachers and students.

The two-storey annex will span approximately 22,360 square feet and include 10 classrooms, physics and biology laboratories, an allied arts room, a clothing and textiles classroom, a home management classroom, an AutoCAD room, a sick bay, a counselling room, a staff room, and accessible washroom facilities.

Principal Tulsidai Raghubansi said the project addresses longstanding infrastructural challenges at the school.
“The new two-storey annex will encompass an impressive 22,360 square feet upon completion and will accommodate an additional 250 students.

This expansion will reduce overcrowding and provide our students with the space they need to learn, collaborate and thrive as students of St Joseph’s High,” Raghubansi said.

Delivering the feature address, Ali described the project as a demonstration of the government’s continued investment in education.

“This investment exemplifies our dedication to strengthening the education sector and ensuring that every child has access to quality learning environments that foster excellence and inspire achievement,” she said.

Parag said the project forms part of the government’s broader effort to expand equitable access to education across the country, including in hinterland and rural communities, adding that Guyana is on track to achieve universal access to secondary education by the end of the year.

Marston, representing the World Bank, said the project reflects what can be achieved through strong partnerships and sustained investment in education.

Jacobs pledged additional sporting equipment for the school, including cricket gear, to complement the new facilities.
The Ministry of Education said construction would be monitored to minimise disruption to classes, with the annex expected to improve educational outcomes when it is completed in April 2027.

More than 1,500 Guyanese living with disabilities have benefited from an independent living programme since its launch in 2022, organisers said Wednesday, as the initiative entered its fifth phase with a target of reaching 450 more persons.
The Independent Living Skills Programme, implemented by the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities and funded by ExxonMobil Guyana, was officially launched on Wednesday.
Programme Manager Ganesh Singh said the initiative has already transformed lives.
“Many of these individuals that benefited over the years, over 1,500 persons who have been directly impacted, are now living much more independent lives. Quite a number are employed, we have persons that have established businesses,” he added.
Originally focused on orientation and mobility training for persons who are blind or visually impaired, the programme has expanded to include persons with physical, intellectual and psychosocial disabilities.
Under phase five, organisers aim to directly reach approximately 450 persons with disabilities while also supporting families and caregivers. Training covers assistive technology, rehabilitation counselling, career guidance, job preparedness, small business management and independent living skills.
The programme will also work with approximately 100 blind and visually impaired children in Regions One and Nine in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Singh said.
“We are seeing persons with disabilities at the various universities, completing tertiary-level education, and it all started with this programme,” he noted.
Beneficiary Neville Douglas, who lost his sight six years ago, said the programme helped him regain independence.
“Today I can walk, I can go many places. Normally I go all over town by myself using the cane. I can use my phone to make and receive calls, use WhatsApp, and I’m computer literate,” he said.
Lorna Carlson said the programme’s expansion reflects a deeper understanding of the needs within the disability community.
“It’s a forward-looking step that aims to equip all persons with disabilities with the practical skills needed for daily living, employment and entrepreneurship,” she said.
Representatives of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security described the initiative as an important step toward empowering persons with disabilities and strengthening inclusion across Guyana.

 

Homebuyers who apply for a home loan with Demerara Bank Limited during the International Building Expo 2026 could win a brand-new BYD motor vehicle and benefit from reduced contribution requirements and waived legal fees.
The promotion, available exclusively from June 25 to June 28 at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, also includes five $100,000 cash-back prizes and on-site guidance from the bank’s home loan specialists.
Eligible loans may be used for purchasing, constructing, completing, or renovating a home, as well as home improvements and switching an existing mortgage to Demerara Bank.
“For many families, owning a home is one of life’s biggest milestones. Through this Building Expo promotion, we’re reducing some of the upfront costs associated with homeownership while giving customers the opportunity to enjoy significant rewards, including the chance to win a brand-new BYD,” a bank representative said.
Eligibility for the grand prize and cash-back prizes is subject to the bank’s lending requirements, credit assessment criteria and applicable promotional terms and conditions.
Full eligibility requirements will be available at the Demerara Bank booth and on the bank’s website.

Citizens Bank has cut its mortgage interest rate on loans up to $30 million from 4.95 per cent to 4.6 per cent and waived legal and registration-related costs for qualifying borrowers, as it commissioned a new branch in Bartica serving approximately 7,000 customers across Region Seven.

The announcements came as President Irfaan Ali joined bank officials, regional leaders and residents on Friday for the opening of the state-of-the-art facility, which expands financial services and support for residents and businesses in the region.
Ali described the investment as a signal of confidence in the region’s future and Guyana’s continued economic growth. He said he expected Citizens Bank to lay out a strategic plan for driving financial inclusion across villages and communities in Region Seven.
Eton M. Chester, Managing Director of Citizens Bank Limited called the opening “a celebration of progress, confidence and partnership,” noting Bartica’s strategic position as the gateway to the hinterland and a hub for commerce, mining, tourism, agriculture and entrepreneurship.
Citizens Bank first established operations in Bartica on April 3, 2000, from a 938-square-foot office staffed by eight employees. Over the past 26 years, the branch has disbursed more than $5.5 billion in loans for housing, businesses, transportation, equipment and other productive investments, with approximately $1.8 billion approved within the last five years alone.
The new facility includes expanded customer service areas, upgraded banking technology, a drive-thru ATM, improved accessibility features and a dedicated digital support zone for online banking and financial education. Staff numbers have grown from 9 to 17 employees, with Chester noting the operation remains largely locally driven, with staff originating from and returning to serve the region.
Ali also welcomed an invitation for the bank to establish a presence at the planned Government Service Centre in Kamarang to extend services to Upper and Middle Mazaruni communities.
“The greatest measure of any banking system is confidence. Do people trust it? Do businesses trust it? Do investors trust it? The answer is clear. Public confidence in our banking system remains high,” Ali said, adding that the Bartica investment reflects confidence in both the region and the country’s long-term prospects.

 

Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, told Guyana’s business community on Thursday that a thriving private sector is essential to the country’s broader economic success, as he outlined plans for a development bank targeting small and medium-sized enterprises.
Speaking at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (GCCI) Breakfast Seminar at the Marriott Hotel, Dr Singh said the government viewed its objectives as aligned with those of the private sector.
“We want to see you do well because we believe that a growing private sector that seeks out, finds and converts business opportunities into income — incomes earned, prosperity generated and wealth accumulated and built — can only redound to a more prosperous and successful country,” he said.
Dr Singh said the Guyana Development Bank Bill, recently presented to the National Assembly, would provide loans of up to $3 million, free of collateral and interest, to entrepreneurs with viable projects, with borrowers expected to eventually graduate into the formal banking system.
“We don’t want only the first cohort to benefit. We want a first cohort to benefit, and then a second, a third and a fourth,” he said.
He added that the bank was designed to be self-sustaining, with funds revolving to serve successive rounds of borrowers.
President Irfaan Ali, speaking previously on the initiative, said the bank was about creating opportunities at the individual and small-business level that would allow Guyanese to prosper and succeed.
GCCI President Kathy Smith commended the government for the initiative, saying the event was geared towards ensuring that micro, small and medium-sized businesses could grow through access to the bank’s resources.
“Today could be the day that you will look back on in a few years and say, ‘That is the moment my life changed’,” Smith said.
A panel discussion followed, with questions from the business community addressed by representatives of Opulent Consultancy Inc, the Small Business Bureau, Guyana Payroll Solutions Inc, and the Centre for Local Business Development.

 

A proposed increase in United States tariffs on imports from Guyana to 12 per cent is unlikely to significantly affect the country’s largest export sectors.
This is according to former Head of the US Foreign Commercial Service, Arun Venkataraman.
Speaking at the “Growing Business with the United States” luncheon hosted by the World Trade Center Georgetown on Wednesday, Venkataraman outlined how recent changes in US trade policy could affect Guyanese exporters.
According to Venkataraman, Guyana is currently subject to the same 10 per cent universal tariff rate applied to many countries, however, the administration has proposed increasing that rate.
“This rate may increase to 12% based on a recent — as of just two weeks ago — country-specific rate proposed by the administration following a forced labour investigation. This rate will also be applied to certain other Caribbean countries, including the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.
Venkataraman said Guyana exports more than US$5 billion in goods annually to the United States, with petroleum accounting for approximately 95 per cent of those exports.
High-grade bauxite, which is used in US aluminium production, also continues to benefit from tariff exemptions.
Despite the proposed increase, Venkataraman said the overall effect on Guyana’s exports is expected to remain limited.
“Still, the aggregate effect of the tariffs on Guyana’s exports is likely to continue to be limited given the current exemptions for petroleum products and bauxite. If anything, the most significant harm, unfortunately, is likely to be in suppressing new categories of exports to the United States from other developing industries in Guyana in particular, such as agricultural production,” he said.
The former US Commerce official suggested that emerging sectors, including non-oil exports, may face greater challenges entering the US market under the revised trade framework.
He nevertheless maintained that Guyanese businesses remain competitive since exporters from many other countries are facing similar tariff conditions under the evolving US trade policy landscape.