Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Vanessa Benn, has urged representatives involved in a study of Guyana’s expanding economy to give careful consideration to public feedback, as government seeks to widen access to employment and business opportunities.
Benn met on Friday with representatives of the Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD) and ACE Consulting Group for a briefing on the proposed Industrial Baseline Study and Economic Assessment and its accompanying national sensitisation programme.
Commissioned by ExxonMobil Guyana earlier this year, the study will examine business demand, supplier capacity, workforce readiness and growth across the country’s regions.
According to an October 23 release from the Housing Ministry, Benn stressed that information gathered during the exercise could provide valuable insights.
“Any information shared with you is relevant,” she told the team, while emphasising the importance of how that information is used.
The minister said job creation and entrepreneurship remain government priorities as Guyana’s economy expands. She also pointed to Cabinet outreaches led by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and other community engagements as avenues for gathering information to guide policies and programmes.
The ministry’s release reported that some 156,000 jobs were created over the past five years. It also cited Bureau of Statistics figures published in the 2026 Mid-Year Report showing that the labour force grew by 47.8 per cent between the first quarter of 2020 and 2025.
Over that period, unemployment declined from 12.8 per cent to 6.2 per cent, while labour force participation increased from 50.4 per cent to 59.2 per cent. The next Labour Force Survey is planned for the final quarter of 2026.
Turning to housing, Benn said a social housing programme targeting highly vulnerable citizens is scheduled to begin next year, while the hinterland housing programme and other initiatives will continue.
She also highlighted the Hyde Park Homestead Project at Yarrowkabra, which provides single mothers with opportunities to earn through shade house agriculture. The initiative, conceptualised by President Ali, is intended to support self-reliance and economic empowerment.
The visiting team included CLBD Executive Director Parmanan Chandranauth, Senior Operations and Finance Manager Onecka Newland, and Anassa Duncan of ACE Consulting Group.
