Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday called for a fundamental shift in the development of Guyana’s hinterland communities, urging Toshaos from across the country to prioritise sustainable economic ventures and employment creation during the 2026 National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference.

Addressing Indigenous leaders at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, the Vice President said that while the Government will continue investing in education, healthcare and infrastructure, the next phase of development must focus on creating lasting livelihoods within villages.

“We now need to shift to other things that the residents want in these villages. The first thing is income-generating activities so people can make money… The young kids who live in your villages can start earning… without having to leave because they have work there,” he said.

Dr. Jagdeo said discussions over the coming days will centre on identifying practical economic opportunities tailored to the strengths of individual communities, noting that each village has unique resources and circumstances that should guide its development.

He announced that the Government plans to establish innovation and technical support hubs in every region to promote diversification and provide the technical assistance needed to develop viable industries.

“We are going to be putting in each region a hub that promotes diversification and innovation… We have to do it as an organised activity through a hub that will support the growth of these activities,” the VP said.

The Vice President encouraged village leaders to pursue projects with strong long-term market potential rather than short-term initiatives, pointing to coconut cultivation, honey production and other value-added enterprises as examples of industries capable of generating significant income and employment.

Highlighting progress already made, Dr. Jagdeo noted that more than 3,000 projects have been completed through direct funding provided to Indigenous villages under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). He praised village leaders for responsibly managing billions of dollars allocated through the programme, describing it as a model of effective local governance.

“We need to go for the things that have the market in the long run… We’ll be talking to every village here so that you can tell us what will work in the long run, and then how we can support this,” he said.

Dr. Jagdeo’s address came as the country continues to mourn the recent ferry tragedy. He assured those gathered that the Government remains fully engaged in search and rescue operations while investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the incident.