Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Sonia Parag, announced that the government would be expanding its training programme for overseers and Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) councillors across the country.

At a recent end-of-year press conference, she said this initiative, which was first launched in July of last year, aims to strengthen the capacity of local government officials and ensure the continued socio-economic development of communities.

The training programme, which initially began in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), the largest local authority area, received an overwhelming response from participants.
Region Four, being home to the largest number of local democratic organs, was identified as a critical area for the rollout of the program, Minister Parag noted.

She emphasised that while the Local Government Commission (LGC) typically handles training sessions, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has taken the initiative to oversee and manage the programme to guarantee its effectiveness.

“This is a pioneering initiative,” Parag said. “We want to ensure that we play our part in capacity building for these councillors, overseers, and those who play an integral role in ensuring we have the socio-economic development in the communities.”

She explained that the comprehensive training covered several vital topics, including local government laws, financial management, community involvement, record management, and the effective operation of committees.
These subjects were selected to equip local officials with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of governance and provide efficient services to their communities.  The programme was designed not only for newly elected councillors but also for returning officials, ensuring that both groups would benefit from the initiative. Recognising the success of the programme in Region Four, the Ministry extended the training to Region Five, a move that Minister Parag praised as a critical step toward broadening the initiative’s impact. Following the successful implementation in Region Four, she said: “It was launched in Region Four and we took it to Region Five. We will be taking it to Region Two and Region 10, and Region Three and other regions that have NDCs…and municipalities.”

She mentioned that, in 2025, the government plans to not only enhance the training but also ensure an impact assessment is conducted with the local democratic organs to evaluate the effectiveness of those bodies. The success of the training initiative, especially after the 2023 local government elections, is an important step in the improvement of governance and management at the local level. This expansion of the training programme reflects the government’s commitment to support for local authorities and ensuring that councillors and other officials have the necessary skills to do their jobs competently.

This initiative marks a significant step in fulfilling a key commitment from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) manifesto to bolster the capacity of local democratic organs.