Jagdeo: Sustainable income generation prioritised over cash grant dependency

PPP General Secretary, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

Sustainable income generation is being prioritised over dependence on cash grants, as targeted financial support is rolled out alongside efforts to expand employment opportunities and social services.
This is according to People’s Progressive Party General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, who was speaking at his weekly press briefing on Thursday.
The government does not want citizens “living only for a government grant,” he affirmed.
Jagdeo acknowledged that while the country has made strong economic and social gains over the past five years, growth has not benefited all Guyanese equally.
“We have made a lot of progress, expanding education, healthcare, infrastructure, job creation and income opportunities, but that progress has not touched everyone in the same way,” Jagdeo said. “There are still groups of people, in every region, who need targeted support,” he added.
He said infrastructure upgrades were visible across coastal and hinterland regions, but access to employment—particularly quality jobs—remained uneven, especially in outlying areas and Amerindian communities.
To address these gaps, the government plans to continue a mix of direct financial assistance and longer-term social investments. Provisions will be made in the 2026 Budget for a $100,000 cash grant next year, Jagdeo said.
More than 630,000 Guyanese benefited from a similar grant last year, with direct transfers totalling about $63 billion, he added.
“That figure alone exceeds the total revenue available to run the entire country when I began my second term as president years ago,” Jagdeo said.
He stressed that cash grants were not intended to replace sustainable income generation. “We do not want people living only for a government grant,” he said. “Our objective is good-paying jobs, decent housing, safe communities and opportunities that allow families to plan for their future.”
Jagdeo also confirmed a 25 per cent increase in stipends for part-time public workers, including drainage and sanitation workers, benefiting nearly 30,000 people—many of them women—with some expected to transition to permanent employment.
Additional initiatives are planned for persons living with disabilities, childcare and elderly care, aimed at expanding workforce participation and community-based services, he said.