Guyana’s rich ethnic and cultural diversity remains one of the country’s greatest strengths and will continue to drive national development under the government’s One Guyana agenda.
Senior Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, reaffirmed this on Tuesday at the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) Symposium, commemorating Guyana’s 60th Independence anniversary.
Dr Singh said the country’s diversity has enabled generations of Guyanese from different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds to live, work, study and build together.
This, he said, creates a cohesive society that serves as a foundation for continued progress.
He added that the ‘One Guyana’ initiative remains the government’s guiding principle, ensuring that every citizen, regardless of ethnicity, religion or location, has the opportunity to participate in and benefit from the country’s unprecedented economic transformation.
“We have a duty to work to ensure that our diversity continues as it has been in the past, that our diversity continues to be the source of strength that it has been over the generations that preceded us, and that we continue to build on this instead of becoming a source of division and weakness.” he said.
The senior minister noted that the government’s development agenda is centred on inclusion, citing employment creation, skills training and universal social programmes as policies designed to improve the lives of all Guyanese.
He highlighted that more than 104,000 jobs were created between 2020 and 2024, while youth unemployment was significantly reduced, ensuring economic opportunities reached communities across all ten administrative regions.
Additionally, more than 80,000 Guyanese have also benefited from government training programmes aimed at preparing citizens for emerging opportunities.
The finance minister further explained that initiatives such as the National Cash Grant and the Because We Care cash grant were deliberately designed to be universally accessible, ensuring benefits reach citizens regardless of income, ethnicity or where they live.
“We have had significant debates about designing these programmes, and we’ve been very deliberate about ensuring that we implement these programmes in a manner we design them and we implement them very carefully to ensure that we don’t apply eligibility criteria, that we don’t apply means tests, but instead that we ensure their universal applicability,’ he said.
Looking ahead, he said the establishment of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) Development Bank will create additional opportunities for entrepreneurs and further expand economic empowerment across Guyana.
Reaffirming the administration’s commitment to inclusive development, he stated, “President (Mohamed) Irfaan Ali’s government is committed to creating opportunities for personal upliftment for every single Guyanese person.”
He added that the government will continue to promote policies that strengthen national unity and ensure every Guyanese shares in the country’s continued growth and prosperity.