Amerindian Development Fund
Majority of revenues were allocated to the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF), with $5 billion approved to fund the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP), the Presidential Grants (PG) and Amerindian development projects.
Minister Pauline Sukhai informed the house that $532 million has been earmarked for the PG programme.
Additionally, $1.5 billion was approved to support more than 2,700 Community Service Officers (CSOS) under YEAP, and $2.5 billion to fund economic, tourism, agriculture and other income-generating initiatives.
Meanwhile, $307 million was appropriated to procure additional vehicles, boats and outboard engines for Amerindian communities.
Amerindian land titling
Notably, $650 million has been appropriated to advance Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) activities, ensuring the First People’s lands are legally secured.
In her response to questions raised by the parliamentary opposition, Minister Sukhai informed that two communities were granted their Certificate of Title for their lands in 2024, including Karasabai and Arrau.
Meanwhile, six absolute grants were issued to Hotoquai, Hobodai, and Red Hill in Region One, Akiwini in Region Two and Moco Moco and Sawariwau in Region Nine, demonstrating the government’s commitment to Amerindian land titling.
Amerindian Act Revision
She also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the Amerindian Act of 2006, with the education and awareness exercise currently ongoing. In 2025 $80 million has been earmarked to further advance the process.
“We continue to do public awareness and of course, as long as we can cover, by mid or a little beyond mid-2025, we will happily launch the full-fledge consultations,” she underscored.
Hinterland scholarship programme
To ensure hinterland students are granted an opportunity to pursue their secondary education in schools, the committee approved $126.9 million to support 604 students.
Cultural preservation
Amerindian Heritage Month will be held on a larger scale as culture groups from Suriname, Belize and Brazil will be invited to perform; some $205 million was approved for this purpose.
Meanwhile, $150 million has been allocated to continue support for the hosting of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference. (Department of Public Information)
