HGP Nightly News – More than $6.2 billion has already landed in the bank accounts of 62,026 Guyanese citizens, and the pace is only picking up. Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance Dr. Ashni Singh delivered a significant update on the national cash grant initiative on Monday, confirming that another 13,168 people are set to receive their $100,000 payments within the next 24 hours.
But beyond the dollars and cents, Singh made clear that something far bigger than a cash transfer is being built here, and Guyana is only just getting started. The rollout began, as planned, with central government employees. Public servants, teachers and members of the disciplined services were the first to see the grants hit their accounts, with 48,858 employees processed in that initial phase.
From there, the programme expanded to the wider public through a dedicated online portal at cashgrant.gov.gy, where 26,639 people have successfully completed self-registration. Of those, 13,168 have already had their payments processed and are set to receive their funds within a day. A further 22,611 individuals are at various stages of completing the process, in the pipeline, but not yet across the finish line.
The portal has not been without its growing pains. Heavy traffic has caused delays for some users, and Singh acknowledged this directly, urging those who have hit obstacles to log back in during quieter periods. The technology, he was candid enough to admit, is still being refined, but the intent is unwavering.
“We’re going to continue to work to refine the ease with which and the smoothness with which the platform is working,” he said, framing the friction not as a failure but as an inevitable part of building something new and genuinely transformative. Because that is exactly what Singh says this is, a first, deliberate step toward a fully digital Guyana.
Linked directly to President Irfaan Ali’s broader Digital Guyana vision, the cash grant portal is being positioned as the opening chapter in a much longer story.
The Government’s ambition is for citizens to eventually access a wide range of services entirely online, birth and marriage certificates, passports, driver’s licences, tax returns, NIS services and more, all from wherever they are, without ever needing to queue at a government office.
“We’re trying to build up a culture where people become accustomed to applying for things online and receiving the delivery of their services online,” Singh said, acknowledging that the shift will require patience and adjustment from everyone involved, government and citizens alike.
Crucially, Singh moved to reassure those who have found the process difficult or who do not yet have a bank account, nobody is being left behind. Citizens are being encouraged to open bank accounts to benefit from the speed and convenience of direct transfers, but those who choose not to, or who simply cannot, will not miss out.
A subsequent phase of the rollout is being designed specifically to reach them, ensuring every eligible Guyanese receives what they are owed regardless of their access to the banking system. “You’re still going to get your cash grant,” Singh said plainly, a promise that leaves no room for ambiguity about the Government’s commitment to making this work for everyone.
