Thirty-one village leaders from Regions Eight and Nine were awarded Community Participation Contracts worth approximately $30 million on Saturday, part of a broader $930 million rollout aimed at expanding villages’ capacity to maintain and improve internal roads and bridges.
The contracts were signed at the Ministry of Public Works boardroom, following Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo’s recent engagements with village leaders at the 2026 National Toshaos Council Conference.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Works Vladim Persaud, delivering remarks at the signing ceremony, said the investment would enable villages to undertake larger infrastructure projects while improving access between communities, particularly during emergencies.
The communities identified the projects themselves and will implement them directly, creating local employment, strengthening community capacity and ensuring public investments respond to residents’ needs, Persaud said.
The Government will invest a further $1 billion in equipment across seven clusters in Region Eight, alongside $50 million in training to equip community members with technical skills for larger road maintenance projects, according to the ministry.
The ministry will also fund a road safety initiative, including the installation of reflective road and bridge signs, and plans to extend the programme to other hinterland regions, including Regions One, Seven and Nine.
The initiative is being advanced jointly by the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. (DPI)
