–Finance Minister assures as teams head to hinterland communities to provide support
–encourages those facing persistent registration issues to make a report, use established centres
SENIOR Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, has assured that every eligible adult Guyanese will receive the $100,000 national cash grant, regardless of whether they have a bank account.
He made this disclosure while being interviewed on the National Communications Network (NCN) on Thursday night. There he outlined the systems being used to roll out the initiative, stressing both the role of technology and the government’s commitment to inclusion.
Earlier in the day, the ministry launched the online self‑registration portal. Through this portal, users can create an account, upload identification documents such as their ID card, electronic ID card or Guyana passport, and input their bank account details.
‘AVALANCHE RESPONSE’
According to Dr Singh, within the first two hours of its launch, the platform saw strong interest.
There were some 2,300 persons who were able to successfully register, while over 4,100 persons initiated the process.
“I’ve received reports that some people have said it was working slowly, and I’ve also received reports that some people said that it was not working at all. I would not refute those reports, I would certainly not dismiss those reports,” the finance minister said adding:
“We saw an avalanche of a response. We saw literally tens of thousands of persons trying to get on immediately.”
ASSURANCE
Dr Singh acknowledged that some users experienced slow response times or were unable to access the portal due to a surge in traffic.
“The reality is that with any website… if you have thousands of persons trying to access it at the same time, it’s going to come under pressure, and it’s either going to slow down or it’s going to stop working.”
He urged citizens not to panic, stressing that the portal would remain open and that technical issues were being addressed in real time by the development team.
“Please don’t get frustrated. Please don’t panic. Please don’t worry, the website, the portal is not going anywhere. It’s not going to close off tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. It will remain open. And if you were unable to complete your registration today, you can try again later tonight, or you can try again later.”
He stressed: “Our objective is to deliver this cash grant to the citizens of Guyana, and so the portal will be kept open.”
He encouraged those facing persistent problems to document them: “If you encounter a particular problem… simply make a note of it, take the relevant screenshots, either send it to us or call the hotline… We’re going to work with you to resolve it.”
HINTERLAND SUPPORT
Recognising additional challenges in hinterland regions, including lower bank account penetration and connectivity issues, Dr Singh said teams have already been deployed to help residents register.
He said the approach draws on methods used in the previous national cash grant rollout, with teams in the field working community by community.
“We’re going to be setting up teams to support residents in hinterland communities to get registered. And we’ve already deployed a team in Region Nine again, with the benefit of the experience that we had from the previous national cash grant that we rolled out.”
He added: “We’re going to be coming to every single hinterland region, and even in the coastal regions, we’re going to be setting up several centres… to help people to register.” These centres will provide devices and technical expertise for those who cannot register on their own.
‘NOBODY WILL BE DENIED THEIR CASH GRANT’
Responding to public concern and what he described as attempts by some political actors to “stir up trouble,” Dr Singh firmly stated that a bank account is not a condition for receiving the cash grant.
“I want to say definitively to my Guyanese brothers and sisters that nobody will be denied their cash grant on account of the fact that they do not have a bank account.”
He emphasised that while the government encourages citizens to obtain bank accounts as this allows for faster electronic transfers, alternative mechanisms will be put in place for those who choose not to use the banking system.
Last week over 48,858 central government employees who are already paid via bank transfers received their grants.
Shortly after President Irfaan Ali assumed office in September 2025, he announced plans to roll out a new national cash grant. To finance this commitment, over $60 billion was allocated in Budget 2026.
