An initial sum of $500 million has been approved at the level of the Parliamentary Committee of Supply for the construction of a new Amerindian Hostel in Georgetown.

Based on a preliminary design, the modern two-storey facility will have the capacity to accommodate approximately 350 persons, and will include, male, female, and prenatal wards, among other sections.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Sarah Browne made the disclosure on Tuesday, as the Committee of Supply considered the $7.5 Billion budgeted for the Amerindian Affairs Ministry.

“For the construction of the new Amerindian Hostel there’s a sum, as I said in my budget speech, of $500 Million that will be used to start a new building,” Minister Browne said.

But grilled on the location by both MP Juretha Fernandes and MP Ganesh Mahipaul, Minister Browne would only say that three possible locations within the city of Georgetown have been identified but no final decision has been made.

According to her, there is a preference for the hostel to be located in close proximity to one of the highways to allow for easy access, but also access to a hospital and key public services. The Committee of Supply was assured that once a location is decided upon, it would be made public.

Pressed for more answers by MP Mahipaul, the Amerindian Affairs Minister said once the project is tendered, the initial sum of $500 million will be used to commence the construction of the hostel on the plot of land of choice.

“The $500 million, we have, as I said, we have already a preliminary design, and so, what we’ll have to do, we will have to get a public tender, whereby a consultant will have to be identified through the public tendering process to do the detailed drawing, that’s how many piles have to drive, etc, how many windows. This money should be able to take us at least we will have moneys for mobilization to begin the construction,” the Amerindian Affairs Minister said.

In response to a series of questions posed by MP Fernandes, Minister Browne indicated that pending the construction of the hostel, the Government has set aside funds in the budget to repair the existing Hostel at Princess Street, Georgetown. Those repairs would include, upgrades to the cupboards to commercial grade cupboards.

“This will cater for the existing Amerindian Hotel, as you know it is a very old building at this time, and there is always breakage and we have to do continuous maintenance. So, this sum caters for that,” Minister Browne said as she alluded to sums allocated under the recurrent programme.

The Committee also heard that there were no provisions in place for the hostels in the 10 Administrative Regions.

The Committee of Supply also considered and approved $5 Billion under the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF) to empower young Indigenous Guyanese through sustainable income-generating projects in over 200 communities across the 10 Administrative Regions.

Related posts:

Budget 2026 will support growth and development of Indigenous communities -Min. Sarah Browne Amerindian Affairs Ministry to offer guidance to village councils on correct spending procedure for LCDS grants Nurse found dead in Mahdia hostel Indigenous Affairs Minister grilled over sloth of land titling in Amerindian communities