Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, has met with village representatives and toshaos from six South Rupununi communities to map out the execution of major localised development projects in the North Pakaraimas District.
The meeting follows government’s decision to increase the hinterland community contract limit from $5 million to $30 million, empowering local indigenous leadership to directly manage larger public works initiatives for their communities.
Emerging from the discussions, Minister Edghill told the visiting team that initial works will prioritise the construction and rehabilitation of 10 bridges and 30 roads linking regions 8 and 9.
To guarantee effective execution, the Ministry has handed over essential heavy machinery—including bulldozers, graders, and rollers—directly to the respective village clusters. The allocation is paired with targeted government training programs designed to build local capacity for operating and maintaining the equipment.
“Our Region 9 program is being developed by including the Toshaos and their villages in the development process,” Minister Edghill stated. “We have equipped you with the machinery to do so, and the government is providing training, ensuring local teams are fully equipped to safely operate and independently maintain the machinery. You will now be at the helm the developments that take place in your communities; that means you will also be fully reposnible for the quality of work that will be done.”
In addition to road and bridge infrastructure, Minister Edghill committed to delivering 250 solar lights to the South Rupununi communities to improve visibility and enhance local security.
The Ministry of Public Works says it will maintain continuous coordination with village councils as project implementation gets underway.
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