INDIGENOUS villages across Guyana are increasingly using development funding to establish income-generating ventures, create employment, and strengthen economic activity within their communities, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Sarah Brown-Shadeek has said.
The minister made this known while appearing on the Starting Point podcast, where she highlighted several examples of communities using resources available through the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF) and the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) to invest in businesses and projects based on their own priorities.
She pointed to Mainstay as an example of a successful community enterprise, where LCDS funding was used to establish guest houses. The initiative has since expanded from a single cabin to three, while income generated from the venture has enabled the community to undertake further investments, including repairs to another cabin and improvements to the school compound.
The minister also highlighted Barima Koriabo, where a community guest house has become a popular destination and is creating employment through the services required to operate the facility.
“These are businesses that are creating employment,” Minister Brown-Shadeek said, noting that community members are involved in providing services such as food preparation and caretaking.
Other communities are directing their funding towards different economic ventures based on local needs. In Shulinab, for example, a satellite community established a fully equipped meat centre, including freezer facilities, allowing residents to transport and sell meat and generate income for the village.
Brown-Shadeek said transportation remains another major priority for many hinterland communities, providing essential services to children, pensioners and persons requiring medical attention, while also supporting economic activity.
She explained that LCDS allocations are transferred directly to villages’ bank accounts, with general meetings in villages determining how the funds are spent. While some communities choose to invest in businesses, others have used the resources for housing improvements, household equipment, and other livelihood initiatives.
The minister encouraged communities to increasingly consider investments capable of generating returns, noting that profits from successful ventures can subsequently be channelled into other community needs.
She also pointed to new financing opportunities through the Guyana Development Bank, which she said could enable Indigenous entrepreneurs to access larger sums for investments, including transportation and other income-generating projects.
Brown-Shadeek urged young people in Indigenous communities to carefully consider these opportunities and use them to establish sustainable businesses that can contribute to local development and employment.
