President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that the government will soon unveil a landmark five-year national blueprint geared toward rapid economic expansion and transformative infrastructure development.
The President said this in his feature address at the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) Awards on Friday evening, where he stressed that a comprehensive programme of citizen upliftment and empowerment must match Guyana’s economic transformation.
The upcoming blueprint is linked to the Government’s broader national development agenda—one that combines industrialisation, energy security, manufacturing growth, and major public infrastructure with policies designed to ensure all Guyanese meaningfully benefit from the country’s progress.
Over the past two months, President Ali has repeatedly signalled that before year-end, the Government will announce a substantial suite of measures aimed at improving household welfare, expanding economic opportunities, and strengthening social resilience. In early November, he stated that the package will extend well beyond cash grants, emphasising empowerment across all demographics. As reported by the News Room on November 5, 2025, the President said:
“I am going to announce, before the end of the year, a series of measures, not only looking at cash grants, but looking at the total empowerment of every Guyanese—whether someone living with a disability, the elderly, children, women, small businesses, farmers—every category.”
Cash grants for individuals, vulnerable groups will be announced before year-end – President
The forthcoming measures form part of the PPP/C Administration’s established track record of fulfilling commitments and advancing people-centred policy. Since taking office in 2020, the Government has delivered a series of direct support initiatives, including the restoration and expansion of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant, the introduction of the Newborn Grant, the $25,000 COVID-19 household relief payment, annual increases to old-age pension and public assistance, tax reductions, broad cost-of-living support, and targeted assistance to farmers, sugar workers, fisherfolk, frontline workers and vulnerable communities.
A key pillar of this record is the PPP/C’s longstanding position that cash grants are continuous, structured, and developmental—rather than ad hoc or politically motivated. That stance was reaffirmed at the start of 2025 by both President Ali and Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo.
In his New Year’s Address, reported by the Guyana Chronicle on January 3, 2025, President Ali stated, “This is not a one-time payment. We are committed to making future direct cash transfers to our citizens. This is the beginning of a sustained programme of direct economic transfers aimed at empowering Guyanese households.”
On the same day, the News Room reported Vice President Jagdeo reinforcing the policy, noting, “The cash grant is not one-off; it will continue periodically.”
These clear, early statements demonstrate that the government’s commitment to continued cash transfers predates recent political debate. According to the Administration, the programme forms part of a larger socio-economic strategy designed to expand opportunity, boost disposable income, and ensure all families share in the country’s development gains.
At the opening of GuyExpo 2025, President Ali addressed attempts to misrepresent these initiatives. As carried by the Guyana Chronicle in November 2025, he cautioned:
“You don’t need to remind us about our commitments—whether it’s cash grants, incentives, subsidies. We know what our commitments are, and we are going to deliver on every one of them—faster, better, greater.”
As Guyana enters what is expected to be its most accelerated period of economic transformation, the soon-to-be-released five-year blueprint, combined with the planned empowerment measures, aims to ensure that the country’s rapid growth translates into broad, equitable, and sustainable improvements in citizens’ lives.
The post ‘We know what our commitments are’ – President says expanded citizen support in five-year blueprint appeared first on News Room Guyana.
