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The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security on Wednesday awarded a $300,000 business grant to 83 women from across Guyana. The recipients were part of the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) Programme; there were also survivors of violence and human trafficking.

The distribution ceremony was held at the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI) in Cove and John, East Coast Demerara. The initiative is supported by Global Affairs Canada and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

According to the Ministry, each recipient underwent a thorough and competitive selection process. Applicants were required to complete WIIN training, develop a business proposal, and have their plans evaluated internally and by an IDB review team.

During her remarks, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, described the initiative as “transformational,” emphasising that the support marks only the beginning for women entrepreneurs.

“Eighty-three women from nine regions across Guyana will benefit from approximately $25 million today,” Minister Persaud stated.

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security on Wednesday awarded a $300,000 business grant to 83 women from across Guyana (Photo: DPI)

She used the opportunity to encourage the beneficiaries to view the grant as a launch pad for sustainable business growth.

“As many of you have responsibilities, I must stress that these funds must be used for your businesses. I know it wasn’t easy, because we threw you into something some of you never did before. The intention is not only to start but to sustain,” Dr Persaud said.

Dr Persaud also highlighted that 28 beneficiaries are already exploring the creation of consortia to strengthen their businesses.

The Minister reaffirmed her ministry’s commitment to monitoring the progress of the new business owners and providing additional support where necessary.

“You have come this far, so don’t crumble. We see you, and we want you to know that we support you.”

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud (Photo: DPI)

With the addition of these 83 grant recipients, Guyana’s growing network of women-owned businesses continues to expand. Dr. Persaud encouraged the beneficiaries to be “unstoppable” and to inspire the next generation of girls to follow their lead.

The ministry will also support the women so that the products and services developed through these grants are ready for the domestic market, with plans to eventually reach markets beyond Guyana’s borders.

From St Ignatius, Region Nine, Elizabeth Adolf has embarked on a block making and construction services. Adolf also serves as a social worker in her community

“This investment in me will further expand what I am working toward,” Adolf told the News Room, highlighting that there is a demand for construction service in her community.

From St Ignatius, Region Nine, Elizabeth Adolf has embarked on a block making and construction services (Photo: MHSSS)

“As I journey on this, there will be challenges but we would know how to step on those as a stepping block as we see further progress, other than the financial help, I will also create job opportunities in my community,” she said.

Faith Henry, a 20-year-old mother from Region One said she is happy to elevate and upgrade her business with the grant.

“My business is an online shopping business and I feel great about the cash grant, I am thankful for it, I came all the way from region one and I think it is beneficial to everyone that received it,” Henry told the News Room.

Tracy Fredericks, a beneficiary of the grant and Minister Persaud (Photo: MHSSS)

Another beneficiary, Tracy Fredericks, the owner of Tracy’s Cake Treats and Delight expressed similar sentiments.

“I am thankful to the government for this grant and I would use it to help me to build my business,” Fredericks said.

 

 

 

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See below the full release from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD): 

The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has observed the proliferation and unacceptable trend of the unauthorised use of the Guyana Flag by vessels that are not registered in Guyana.

Today, the Government of the United States of America (USA) informed the Guyana Maritime Administration Department that they have encountered the Motor Tanker SKIPPER (ex-ADISA), IMO Number 9304667 in International Waters. It was falsely flying the Guyana Flag, as it is not registered in Guyana.

MARAD will continue to reach out to and work with international partners and other maritime agencies to identify, pursue, and take firm action against any unauthorised use of the Guyana Flag.

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The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) has secured its first Inter Guiana Games (IGG) Chess title, with President Anand Ragunauth immediately crediting the Government of Guyana for the strategic support that paved the way for the historic victory.

Speaking after the tournament, Ragunauth was effusive in his praise for the athletes but made a point of acknowledging the government and its agencies, whose backing he described as crucial.

“The Guyana Chess Federation was pleased to have chess included as one of the events at the IGG 2025,” Ragunauth said. “We were happy to achieve our goals as this was the first time we were able to win the title.”

Ragunauth singled out the Government of Guyana, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS), and the National Sports Commission (NSC), underscoring their “strategic roles” in both hosting the Games and providing the necessary support for the federation to deliver the championship.

The victory marks a significant milestone for the GCF, which is actively investing in expanding the sport nationally. They are already planning to defend their crown next year.

“We look forward to retaining this title next year in Suriname,” the President added.

Guyana finished first in the overall  Chess standings, with Suriname placing second and French Guiana third.

The Open tournament saw Guyana claim the Gold medal, spearheaded by strong performances from Kyle Couchman, CM Sachin Pitamber, Micaiah Enoe, and Alexander Zhang.

In the Girls’ segment, Guyana took home the silver medals behind winners Suriname. Silver was secured by WCM Aditi Joshi, Ciel Clement, Maliha Rajkumar, and Italy Ton-Chung.

Throughout the competition, the Guyana Chess Federation ensured the smooth and fair application of FIDE regulations, with their professionalism instrumental in maintaining the integrity of the contests.

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The President’s ‘One Guyana’ Futsal Championship delivered a series of high-octane knockout encounters last night, with goals flying in across the board.

The highlight of the evening saw Albouystown Ballers deliver a sensational attacking performance, while two players netted crucial hat-tricks to send their teams through.

The most dominant performance of the night belonged to Albouystown Ballers, who steamrolled Show Stoppers with a commanding 10-1 victory.

The destruction was led by Joel Magrel, who was unstoppable, scoring five goals (4th, 8th, 9th, 26th, 30th) in a brilliant individual display. Randy Maynard also chipped in with a hat-trick (20th, 24th, 25th) as Albouystown laid down a firm marker for the rest of the competition.

In the night’s other tightly contested matches, several forwards proved the difference as Foot Steppers secured a thrilling 5-3 win over Real Sport, powered by a hat-trick from Anthony Roberts (4th, 5th, 30th). Roberts struck twice in the opening minutes to set the pace before sealing the win late on.

Agricola Ballers overcame Mocha Red Force 4-2, thanks mainly to Demane Cort, whose three goals (16th, 17th, 30th) proved decisive from the opening fixture.

Beavers saw off Gaza Squad 4-1, with Rodwin Jones and Timothy Kennedy establishing an early lead that proved insurmountable. Meanwhile, Kanaimas edged a tense encounter against Paradise Invaders 2-1, with a double from Brandon LaRose (9th, 25th).

The action continues Thursday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with both the men’s knockout stage and the schoolboys’ round-robin segment.

The highly anticipated men’s lineup features five elimination matches, headlined by the late clash between Corinthians and Tiger Bay.

Men’s Knockout Fixtures (Thursday, 11 December, from 20:00hrs):

Time (hrs)	Match-up
20:00	Spaniard vs Make It Happen
20:45	Port Kaituma vs Timehri Warriors
21:30	Ballers United vs Victoria Eagles
22:15	Alexander Village vs Espanyol
23:00	Corinthians vs Tiger Bay

 

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Maggie’s Catering Inc. has confirmed its support for the third edition of the President’s ‘One Guyana’ Futsal Championship, coordinated by the Kashif & Shangai Organisation.

The popular local catering firm handed over its contribution on Tuesday to Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, Co-Director of the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation, following the tournament’s opening night, which featured nine matches across the senior men’s and schoolboys’ divisions.

Maggie’s Catering Brand Manager, Ms. Ladonna Kissoon, praised the organizers for their consistent delivery of quality competitions in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

“We are extremely pleased to see the introduction of a schoolboys tournament, which has attracted 20 schools,” Ms. Kissoon stated. “This initiative is significant as it offers around 300 young players the opportunity to exhibit their skills, and we wish the tournament every success.”

Major confirmed that the schoolboys’ segment will utilize a round-robin format in the initial stage, guaranteeing participating students more valuable game time—a key component of player development.

The competition continues at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, with entry remaining free for all schoolboys’ fixtures.

Schoolboys Segment (Thursday, 11 December, from 12:00hrs):

Time (hrs)	Match-up
12:00	St. Joseph’s High vs St. John’s College
12:40	Charlestown vs Westminster
13:15	South Ruimveldt vs VYC Academy
13:50	New Central High vs Bishop’s High

The senior men’s knockout tournament resumes later in the evening with five fixtures starting at 20:00hrs, including a highly anticipated clash between Corinthians and Tiger Bay.

Men’s Knockout Stage (Thursday, 11 December, from 20:00hrs):

Time (hrs)	Match-up
20:00	Spanyard vs Make It Happen
20:45	Port Kaituma vs Timehri Warriors
21:30	Ballers United vs Victoria Eagles
22:15	Alexander Village vs Espanyol
23:00	Corinthians vs Tiger Bay

 

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The High Court Justice has granted National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) an Order for Possession of its property at Area “X”, Charlestown, following a long-running dispute with Guyana National Industrial Company Inc. (GNIC), one of the country’s major shipping wharf operators.

In a detailed judgment delivered on 10 December 2025, the Honourable Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln held that GNIC was not entitled to renew its lease, was in breach of key lease obligations, and was therefore required to deliver vacant possession of the property to NICIL. The Court further rejected GNIC’s claims of estoppel and upheld NICIL’s proprietary rights over the land and wharf facilities.

At centre is Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln; at left is attorney Devindra Kissoon and at right is attorney, Natasha Vieria

NICIL was represented in the proceedings by Attorneys-at-Law Devindra Kissoon and Natasha Vieira of London House Chambers who successfully advanced NICIL’s case for possession, injunctive relief, and related orders.

During proceedings NICIL alleged that GNIC had failed to pay it rent since at least 2010, owing more than 1 billion dollars, while profiting from its operations. NICIL also alleged that GNIC was illegally subletting the property to TCL and Laparkan among others, all in breach of the provisions of its lease with NICIL. Despite these breaches GNIC attempted to exercise an option to renew the lease, which NICIL rejected.

The Court found that GNICs attempt to renew the lease court not be sustained in light of the breaches of the lease. The Court also found that GNIC was not entitled to be afforded the protections of the Rent Restriction Act. The Court ordered that GNIC deliver up possession of the wharf to NICILwithin six months not later than June 12, 2026. GNIC was represented by Neil Boston S.C.

The ruling now paves the way for the Government to build a modern port facility along one of Guyana most prime shipping locations.

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The Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar and other officials from the ministry engaged the management of Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc. following recent power outages.

In a statement issued after the meeting with GPL, the Public Utilities Ministry said there are more than 30 teams on standby to deal with any emergencies that may arise. The ministry also explained the reasons for the recent outages that affected thousands of people.

See below the full statement from the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation: 

The Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation engaged the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL)  following the two recent power outages that impacted service delivery in Demerara and  Berbice on December 9 and December 10, 2025. 

On Tuesday, December 9, at approximately 22:06 hrs, customers in Demerara and Berbice  experienced an interruption in electricity supply following a heavy arching and short circuit at the 69kV Transformer at the Kingston Substation, where smoke was observed emanating  from the transformer panel. A technical team was immediately dispatched to investigate the  root cause of the disturbance, which was reported to be a damaged cable. 

As a precautionary measure, the damaged cable was isolated to facilitate the safe  restoration of power. Incremental restoration of electricity immediately began and continued  until all affected areas were repowered at approximately 00:30 hrs on Wednesday,  December 10. 

Unfortunately, on Wednesday at approximately 11:19 hrs, the 69kV line linking Edinburgh  and Vreed-en-Hoop Substations tripped while transmitting approximately 15 megawatts  (MW) of power. The sudden loss of generation caused a cascading effect across the grid,  resulting in service disruption to customers in Demerara and Berbice. Teams were instantly dispatched to determine the reason for the disruption. It was determined that the disruption was due to the movement of heavy machinery in close proximity to the transmission lines. 

Within 30 minutes of this event, power was restored to some communities, with full restoration to all communities within approximately 90 minutes.  

The Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation continues to work with the Guyana Power and  Light Inc. to maintain a reliable supply of electricity.  

GPL has sufficient baseload generation of over 250MW of reliable generating capacity to  meet and far exceed the current demand of 210MW. However, there are instances where the disruption of services result from the operation of heavy-duty equipment, including excavators, cranes, draglines, and cement pump trucks in close proximity to the transmission lines, negatively impacting thousands of customers. Recently, we have seen an uptick of accidents where the reckless operation of trucks, cars and other motor vehicles resulted in the disruption of service to customers when they come into contact with GPL’s network. 

The Ministry, therefore, strongly urge all road users and equipment operators and contractors to be conscious of the dangers of operating near GPL infrastructure and the resultant loss of service to customers.

The Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, working alongside GPL, has commissioned in excess of 30 emergency teams throughout the country to address emergencies that may  arise. 

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