2026 Budget Misses Chance to Tackle Poverty- Forde

The 2026 National Budget of Guyana, totaling $1.558 trillion and presented by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government under the theme “Putting the People First” on Monday, January 26, has been criticised for failing to invest in human capital and the welfare of ordinary citizens. Budget debates are scheduled to begin on Monday, February 2.

Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde and former A Partnership for National and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) parliamentarian described the budget as a “missed opportunity” that largely benefits the wealthy and well-connected while doing little to transform the lives of everyday Guyanese.

“At a moment when Guyana is flush with unprecedented oil revenues and enjoys a level of fiscal space few developing nations ever see, the Government offered a budget that stops short of making human capital development and people empowerment genuine national priorities,” Forde said.

Since first producing oil in 2019, Guyana has earned more than US$8 billion in petroleum revenues. Yet, according to the 2025 Inter-American Development Bank report, 58% of the population still lives in poverty, though local analysts suggest the actual figure is higher.

Forde said the budget lacks a bold or transformative strategy to develop research, innovation, science, or technological excellence among young Guyanese. “There is no coherent plan to develop research institutions, innovation hubs, or meaningful partnerships between universities and the private sector,” he said.

He further criticised education allocations, saying they remain anchored in maintenance and traditional schooling rather than preparing students for a modern, knowledge-based economy. “For a nation poised to graduate from a primarily resource-based economy to a diversified knowledge economy, this gap is alarming,” Forde said.

The budget also offers no serious incentives for small and medium-scale manufacturing, agro-processing industries, or visionary industrial policies. “Despite being awash with oil wealth, we remain at a rudimentary level of economic development; exporting raw resources while importing what we could be making at home,” Forde added.

Forde highlighted the government’s heavy reliance on petroleum revenues, warning it undermines other key sectors. “While petroleum revenues are rightly a central pillar of our national finances, the degree to which this budget leans on them blindsides other vital sectors. Agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and small business development are treated as afterthoughts rather than engines of diversified growth,” he said.

The continued focus on infrastructure spending also raised concerns. Forde pointed to long-delayed projects such as the East Coast Demerara road expansion, piecemeal hinterland linkages, and urban drainage works. “Pouring hundreds of billions into infrastructure without addressing procurement inefficiencies, contractor accountability, and quality standards is not prudent; it is wasteful,” he said.

Social support measures were described as piecemeal and insufficient, with limited relief for families struggling with housing, transportation, and access to healthcare and education. “The Government’s rhetorical commitment to people is starkly contradicted by a lack of substantive measures that would lift citizens out of poverty or improve the livelihoods of working-class Guyanese,” Forde wrote.

He concluded that the budget “should have been a bold statement of national intent; a blueprint for investing in people, innovation, education, and economic diversity. Instead, it settles for the familiar, the cautious, and the uninspired. Guyana deserves a future-focused vision that empowers our citizens, rewards hard work, and harnesses our resource wealth to build a more equitable and prosperous society.”

“Until the Government places human development at the centre of national policy, no level of oil revenue or infrastructure spending will deliver true and lasting prosperity for all Guyanese. The promise of a people-centred budget remains unfulfilled,” Forde said.