Her Excellency First Lady Arya Ali yesterday secured a landmark partnership with Guyana’s major utility and service providers to expand employment opportunities and improve access to essential services for persons with disabilities through the Centre for Equity, Opportunity and Innovation.

The announcement was made during a simple but significant ceremony at the Centre which was launched in June of this year at Palmyra, Region six.

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), ENet, One Communications, MMG, MoneyGram, and Western Union have all begun establishing service kiosks inside the Center, and will begin offering a full suite of services to residents of Region six by January 2026.

In addition to the 90 persons who are already employed at the facility, the seven companies have committed to hiring at least one person with a disability to manage their kiosk.

This commitment by the companies brings to fruition sustained lobbying by the First Lady over the past four years for the private sector to play a more meaningful role in providing employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Specifically, Mrs Ali’s InclusAbility Initiative has amplified the need for greater levels of inclusion of persons with disabilities.

“For years, we have been urging corporate Guyana to make inclusion a lived reality. This partnership shows what is possible when we work together for the good of all our people.

“The Centre was created to empower persons with disabilities and today’s collaboration with these seven companies brings us even closer to that vision,” the First Lady shared during the ceremony.

Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament (MP) for Region Six, Dr. Ashni Singh, praised the initiative, noting that the partnership was a demonstration of meaningful change that occurs when government, the private sector, and civil society work together

. [Office of the First Lady release]