Berbicians urged to tap into underused Palmyra service hub

Several utility, telecommunications and money-transfer services being offered at the Centre for Equity, Opportunity and Innovation at Palmyra, East Canje, are being underutilised, with many Berbicians seemingly unaware that they can access the services at the facility.

The services, which were announced late last year as part of an initiative to create additional employment opportunities for persons with disabilities (PWDs), allow members of the general public to conduct several transactions at one location. Latha Devi Jagmohan, supervisor at the Empower Guyana Centre for Equity, Opportunity and Innovation, is now encouraging residents to make greater use of the facility.

“Whether it’s topping up your phone, paying a bill, querying a bill, or you just simply want to do a cash transfer, inquire about an issue with your phone or your data plan, anything that concerns your telecommunication and your bill payments, it can be done right here at Empower Guyana,” she explained. Among the services available are those offered by Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), along with telecommunications and money-transfer services.

For Jagmohan, however, having the different service providers at Palmyra offers more than an alternative location for conducting transactions. “The plus to coming here and using our services is that you don’t have to go to different locations to have all of these services done. It’s done in one location here. So, when you come here, you don’t have to go to a GPL location or a GWI location. Here we have all of them available in one spot,” she said. PWDs are employed through the initiative, linking customer support directly to employment and greater economic independence for PWDs. “When you come, you’re not just paying a bill, or you’re not just topping up your phone. You’re supporting an initiative that fosters inclusion and financial independence for persons with disabilities, because these persons work for these companies,” Jagmohan pointed out. The facility is open to all members of the public and is not restricted to PWDs.

In December 2025, First Lady Arya Ali announced partnerships with utility, telecommunications and money-transfer companies to expand employment opportunities for PWDs at the Palmyra centre. At the time, it was announced that GPL, GWI, ENet, One Communications, MMG, MoneyGram and Western Union (WU) would establish kiosks at the facility and begin providing services to Region Six residents from January 2026. An important component of the initiative was a commitment by each participating company to employ at least one person with a disability to operate its kiosk. At the time of that announcement, the centre reportedly employed some 90 persons.

The Centre for Equity, Opportunity and Innovation itself was commissioned in June 2025 as an initiative geared towards creating employment, skills development and entrepreneurial opportunities for PWDs. “We here at Empower Guyana create opportunities and independence, as well as employment, which is our main goal for persons with disability. In addition, we do a lot of skills training programmes for persons with disability in areas like sewing, painting, commercial food preparation [and] small electronic repairs,” Jagmohan explained. Agriculture is also incorporated into the programme through a shade house, where lettuce and pak choy are among the fast-growing crops currently being cultivated. Apart from the utility and telecommunications operations, members of the public can also purchase food prepared at the centre and place orders for catering and pastries.

“Our kitchen is operational. I just want to make that note. We do have lunches available every day,” Jagmohan said. Menus are posted daily on the centre’s social-media pages, while orders can be placed by contacting the facility on 761-1568.

Training programmes are also continuing, with sewing and cake-decorating classes currently in progress. Products from the sewing programme, including sheets, aprons and bags, are expected to become available for sale. The centre also provides printing services and can handle larger orders for customised T-shirts for events, businesses and organisations. “If you have an event and you need a huge amount of T-shirts with a specific print or a specific logo, you can also contact us. We also facilitate that to the general public, so come on guys and support us,” Jagmohan urged. The centre operates from 08:00h to 16:30h from Monday to Thursday and from 08:00h to 15:30h on Fridays.