Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance Dr. Ashni Singh has explained that President Dr Irfaan Ali and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will be presenting Budget 2026 from the standpoint of a framework that has already been laid out in the PPP/C’s 2025 manifesto. He noted that this framework defines already what the priorities are, following the method government used prior to crafting the manifesto through listening to the people of Guyana and consultations held.
Alluding to President Ali’s recent address to the nation in which he outlined his vision for the country, Dr. Singh described the vision as exciting and inspiring, noting that the new Budget will reflect this vision in more detail.
“The President’s vision was for economic transformation, modernization of social services, for the empowerment of the Guyanese people, for the deployment of technology and the digital agenda, and for creating and building a Guyana that is a truly modern country and one in which we can live comfortably, in which we can live and work and earn and save and invest and retire comfortably, and in which services are accessed in an efficient manner, and that was done in a very comprehensive manner,” he stated.
Shifting his focus to the upcoming Budget 2026 presentation in the National Assembly Dr. Singh then explained that “the budget goes into more detail, because it is the basis on which those plans are translated into actual projects and programs that will be implemented. So, we have certainly started work within the context of a very clear policy framework and work is moving apace and we look forward to concluding budget 2026 and taking it to Parliament so that we can start its implementation and get on with the business of delivery to the people”.
Dr. Singh also reminded that the 2025 Manifesto through which the Budget will be crafted, will include a number of initiatives suggested by citizens, many of whom called in and messaged and these will be considered as government’s continues to examine the country’s macroeconomic position.
“Our policy priorities as a government are reflective of the priorities and preferences of the people whom we serve. Now, in some sense, the heavy lifting in relation to the budget has already been done even before we started the term of office,” the Senior Minister pointed out, adding that government spent much time crafting a manifesto and listening to the people of the country as he reminded that on successive occasions, government engaged with the public and with stakeholders.
“You would recall that in preparing our manifesto, we threw it open to the nation. We said, send us your suggestions. We published WhatsApp numbers and email addresses so that suggestions could be made and many such suggestions were made, and many of those suggestions found themselves into the final manifesto,” he reminded.
President Ali in his most recent address to the nation, posited that citizens will continue to witness rapid, large-scale transformation, driven by an ambitious five-year manifesto plan which will include continued diversification of the economy and the upgrading and build out of infrastructure. He also outlined many other plans that will allow for a high-quality life for all citizens as the country.
