Gov’t seeks $54 billion in supplementary funds

The Government of Guyana is seeking an additional $54.89 billion in supplementary funds for key local initiatives and programmes this year.

Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh presented Financial Paper No. 1 of 2026 to the National Assembly on Friday.

About $4.7 billion is being sought for current expenses, while $50.1 billion is for capital expenditures. The funds are for accelerated work in several sectors, including public works, agriculture, aviation, housing, and health.

In a release from the Ministry of Finance, it was noted that approval for Supplementary provisions is being sought for the period ending December 31, 2026, with $17.5 billion for the housing sector to cater for an accelerated work programme. In the PPP/C’s 2026 Manifesto, the Party outlined its plan for affordable homes and stronger communities through measures such as expanding its housing programme, the construction of 40,000 new homes, working to ensure it eliminates the backlog of applications in all regions, and fast-tracking all pending housing applications. To facilitate this, in Budget 2026 $159.1 billion was allocated to the sector.

Furthermore, the National Assembly is also being requested to consider a supplementary provision of $19.1 billion under the Office of the Prime Minister to cater for additional resources, including toward the government’s Gas-to-Energy Project, which is expected to reduce electricity cost to citizens by half when it comes on stream. Another $8.5 billion is being sought under the Ministry of Public Works, including $6 billion that caters for miscellaneous roads and drainage and $2.5 billion for hinterland roads as the government continues to improve connectivity across all regions of the country.

Additionally, $8.3 billion is being requested for consideration under the Ministry of Agriculture, including $807.5 million for the Guyana Rice Development Board, $3 billion for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO), and $4.5 billion for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to support the agriculture sector.

Under the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, a further $600 million is being requested for the provision of additional resources to facilitate maintenance of coastal airstrips and $496.3 million to support water interventions, including water filling stations. Under the Ministry of Home Affairs, an additional $60 million is being requested to facilitate its accelerated work programme for the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU).

The request for supplementary funding would be considered at the next sitting of the National Assembly. Earlier this year, the $1.558 trillion national budget for 2026 was approved by the House.