— New Cabinet-approved protocol to boost transparency, accountability and community oversight

RESIDENTS across Guyana will soon have greater access to information on government-funded projects in their communities under a new protocol approved by Cabinet that will require ministries and agencies to publicly disclose key details of works before construction begins.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, announced that the measure is aimed at improving transparency, accountability and public participation amid the country’s ongoing infrastructural expansion.
Under the protocol, agencies undertaking projects will be required to engage local democratic organs, hold community meetings and provide residents with information including the contractor’s identity, project cost, duration and scope of works.
The move comes in response to longstanding complaints from communities that they are often left unaware of who is carrying out projects, the extent of the works and how long disruptions are expected to last.
Addressing concerns surrounding transparency and accountability, Minister Manickchand said the initiative will ensure citizens are better informed while allowing communities to play a greater role in monitoring public projects and holding contractors accountable.
CONCERNS RAISED
She noted that the measure was prompted by concerns raised by residents and local government officials, who were at times unaware of projects being undertaken in their communities.
“One of the complaints we have gotten across communities is that in this massive development of Guyana, where there is a lot of civil work happening, roads being built, bridges, buildings going up, buildings being fixed, schools being repaired, is that people in the community, or even local government bodies, do not know what is happening,” she said.
“They do not know who the contractor is, they do not know the scope of work or the duration of the contract, and that leads to a lot of hurt and confusion; people not knowing how long they will be inconvenienced.”
Manickchand said the protocol, which has already received Cabinet approval, will require ministries and agencies to notify local and regional authorities before commencing works.
“In order to be more transparent and to get the community behind all our projects, because these are massively good development projects that are going to benefit everyone in the community, we have just adopted a new protocol in Cabinet. It is not new, but it is going to be implemented now,” she said.
The minister explained that any ministry or agency entering a community to execute a project must first engage relevant local stakeholders, including Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), municipalities and active community organisations.
“A community meeting must be held and the project explained,” she said.
Additionally, contractors will be required to provide detailed information about the project, including the nature of the works, the expected duration, project cost and the resources involved.
“Is it 10 barrels of sand, 20 wheelbarrows of stone that were needed for this bridge, how long it is going to take, how much it is going to cost, who the contractor was, and that is going to be publicly available information also,” Manickchand said.
According to the minister, the initiative is intended to strengthen accountability by ensuring that residents are fully informed about developments taking place in their communities.
“We hope that by doing that, residents and community members better understand what is happening in their community, which we believe is our duty to make you better understand and your right to know. But also, to make us more transparent and to make people more accountable, because now you have a whole community watching the project,” she said.
ACTIVE ROLE FOR CITIZENS
As the government moves to implement the protocol, Manickchand urged residents to take an active role in ensuring compliance and transparency at the community level.
She said information on ongoing projects should be readily available through local democratic bodies and encouraged residents to report instances where works are being carried out without adequate public disclosure.
“If you see any work going on in your community that you do not know about, let us know, let your local government body know, and be sure that you could walk over to your NDC and find the scope of work pasted up alongside their door, on a notice board, or somewhere visible to the public,” she said.
Manickchand stressed that citizens should not hesitate to raise concerns where projects appear unclear or undocumented, noting that the system is designed to make project details publicly visible and easily accessible.
She said the measure will help hold contractors and agencies accountable while ensuring that communities remain informed and active participants in Guyana’s development.