Opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) unveiled a comprehensive, people-centered development plan Sunday night, pledging to prioritize youth empowerment, small business growth, equitable distribution of oil wealth, and public service transformation if elected on September 1, 2025.
At a packed public meeting in Bare Root, East Coast Demerara, APNU Presidential Candidate Aubrey Norton laid out a progressive economic and social blueprint for the nation. Central to the plan is the establishment of a National Youth Fund, targeting Guyanese between 15 and 24 years old. This fund, Norton explained, will provide grants and loans, alongside business training, to prepare the next generation for entrepreneurship and leadership.
“There is a bright future ahead for the youth of Guyana,” Norton said. “We’re not just talking empowerment, we will invest directly in young people, train them to manage small businesses, and support them to succeed.”
In a bid to foster equity and broaden economic participation, Norton also reaffirmed APNU’s pledge to allocate 25% of all government contracts to small contractors, following capacity-building programs to prepare them for sustainable success.
Co-leader of the Working People’s Alliance and APNU candidate Professor David Hinds emphasized the coalition’s commitment to economic justice, announcing a legislative proposal that would allocate 10% of Guyana’s annual oil revenues directly to citizens. Under this plan, every household could receive up to GY$1 million annually, empowering families to escape poverty and invest in their futures.
“This is about restoring dignity to ordinary people,” Hinds declared. “While the government manages the 90%, we will ensure 10% reaches the people directly, no strings attached.”
He also highlighted APNU’s intention to correct years of disparities in land and wage allocations by providing public servants and teachers with land for housing or farming, ensuring that state workers are compensated fairly and have assets to build long-term wealth.
The coalition’s policy platform includes a national school feeding program, a comprehensive school transportation system, and a commitment to expand local food production to reduce the cost of living and enhance food security. It also promises to train doctors and nurses, invest in health care, and raise salaries and pensions.
Both Norton and Hinds reiterated APNU’s zero-tolerance stance on police misconduct, corruption, and racial discrimination, with clear plans to dismantle systems of inequity that have excluded Afro-Guyanese and other underserved communities from full participation in the economy.
APNU’s vision stands in stark contrast to the incumbent PPP’s vague promises of more cash grants, which so far have lacked transparency or structure. In contrast, the APNU’s proposal is clear, actionable, and rooted in legislative guarantees.
As the campaign heats up, APNU is positioning itself as the party of inclusion, economic justice, and opportunity, with a focus on empowering the people, not just expanding the state.
