President Irfaan Ali used a diaspora meeting in Queens to paint a picture of an economy racing ahead, claiming Guyana has created 160,000 new jobs and built more than 5,000 kilometres of roads in the past five years. Yet those claims are facing questions over the absence of comparable national employment data and the visible condition of parts of the road network.
Ali made the claims Thursday night at Jericho Palace Banquet Hall in Queens Village, where he urged Guyanese overseas to invest in the country and participate in what he called Guyana’s “second phase of transformation.” The government’s Department of Public Information described the gathering as “hundreds” of Guyanese, while some other media reports have described the turnout as “thousands.”
Available venue information and event configurations indicate that it is a mid-sized banquet facility, generally capable of comfortably accommodating roughly 150 to more than 200 guests depending on the floor arrangement, seating configuration and use of available space. That makes the unqualified use of “thousands” difficult to reconcile without evidence showing how the figure was calculated.
Inside the hall, Ali presented an expansive account of his administration’s record.
“Guyana is not the same as you knew it. Guyana is punching in every ring. We’re in every conversation. And we are preparing our economy and our country for the second phase of transformation.”
He claimed 160,000 new jobs, more than 5,000 kilometres of new roads, over 100 new schools and extensions to more than 160 existing schools.
The employment claim is particularly significant because Guyana has not consistently had the national labour-market data needed to independently substantiate previous government claims about large numbers of jobs created.
Stabroek News reported in February that there had been no hard evidence provided by the government to show where earlier claims of tens of thousands of new jobs were created, noting gaps in available labour statistics from the Bureau of Statistics.
The latest Bureau of Statistics website now reports an unemployment rate of 6 percent for the fourth quarter of 2025, but that figure is not itself evidence that 160,000 new jobs were created during Ali’s tenure.
The roads claim also invites scrutiny from motorists confronting deteriorating surfaces and ongoing remedial works.
Government says it has completed major projects including the Heroes Highway, Ogle-Eccles Highway and Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge. Yet the Heroes Highway remains under expansion works, with multiple construction lots involving additional lanes, drainage, pavement and other works.
The Bharrat Jagdeo Bridge has also required attention to pavement undulations. The Public Works Ministry acknowledged irregularities and said remedial works were required, while maintaining that the bridge remains structurally safe.
Outside the Queens meeting, We Invest In Nationhhod (WIN) supporters protested Ali’s visit, challenging the President over governance, political rights, the treatment of Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and accountability surrounding the MV Barima disaster.
The protesters’ message contrasted sharply with the President’s investment pitch inside.
Ali told the diaspora that a special investment vehicle would soon allow overseas Guyanese to invest in major projects, including a proposed fertiliser plant and gas bottling facility, with the government saying returns would be guaranteed.
“We are going to launch very soon a special investment vehicle to mobilise resources in the diaspora.”
The Queens event consequently produced two very different pictures of Guyana.
Inside the banquet hall, Ali promoted an oil-fuelled transformation and invited the diaspora to invest. Outside, protesters questioned whether the government’s claims about prosperity, infrastructure and governance match the experience of citizens at home.
The unresolved attendance figure only adds to the scrutiny. “Hundreds” is the figure reported by government, while “thousands” has appeared in other coverage. Neither description has been independently verified.
