Government creating new opportunities for small contractors

Guyana’s rapid infrastructure development is creating new opportunities for small and first-time contractors, a deliberate effort to broaden public participation in national development.

Speaking on the Starting Point podcast, Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill said the PPP/C Administration has ushered in “a new cadre of contractors” who are now partnering with the State to deliver major community projects.

“It was about creating jobs, more than 30 per cent of those contractors are women,” he stated.

The initiative is a government programme designed to financially empower women to provide for themselves and their families while bridging the gender gap in the country’s workforce.

Minister Edghill said that approximately 98 per cent of these contractors received infrastructure work for the first time through the government fixed-rate road contracts.

He also shared that the government created an “environment that facilitated them [contractors] to get the work done, gain experience, engage with senior engineers and technicians to improve their skills.”

The approach is part of a broader government plan to increase the number of contractors and ensure more Guyanese directly benefit from the country’s changes.

Since the PPP/C returned to office in August 2020, over 2,000 new contractors have joined the industry.

The new model prioritises transparency and community involvement by enabling residents to recommend contractors from within their area to do the work. Beyond that, it also strengthens accountability amongst residents and brings economic benefits.

These developments underscore the government’s commitment to uplifting communities and ensuring the equitable delivery of public services across Guyana.