The Government plans to launch a comprehensive programme to train truck drivers in 2026 through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning Keoma Griffith announced on Wednesday as he made his maiden presentation in the National Assembly during the Budget 2026 debate.
Griffith said the initiative will be implemented in the new fiscal year and will complement work already underway with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Public Service and Government Efficiency to review the licensing process for drivers.
“Budget 2026 will see the implementation and the roll-off of a comprehensive programme to train our truck drivers… through the Board of Industrial Training,” he told the House, urging particular attention from those in the sector.
In his first address to the House, Griffith welcomed youth parliamentarians in attendance and reflected on his own experience as a youth parliamentarian 14 years ago.
He credited President Dr. Irfaan Ali and the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) leadership for the opportunity to serve, framing his appointment as evidence of the Government’s commitment to nurturing young leaders.
Griffith strongly defended the $1.58 trillion budget and the “Putting People First” theme, arguing it is grounded in policies that translate economic growth into jobs, opportunity, worker protections and improved public services across all regions.
He leaned on public endorsements he said were issued by major stakeholders, including the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana, and the Private Sector Commission, as he positioned Budget 2026 as pro-worker and pro-development.
Griffith also launched sustained attacks on APNU+AFC’s record in office, accusing the Opposition of poor governance and broken promises, and referencing issues such as job losses, taxation, education costs, and the 50% salary increase for ministers shortly after taking office.
The Labour Minister said the Government’s performance between 2020 and 2025 shows “measurable” results, citing employment creation and expanded training.
He told the House that between 2020 and 2025, the Government created 104,000 sustainable jobs, which he said exceeded its manifesto promise. He also reported that unemployment was reduced from 12.8% to 6.8%, while youth unemployment fell from 30.2% to 12.1% over the same period.
Griffith further said that more than 16,300 people were trained through BIT from 2020 to 2025, with an investment of over $1.5 billion, and highlighted the training of 615 women in non-traditional areas such as welding and heavy-duty equipment operation.
He added that more than 400 people living with disabilities have benefited from BIT programmes over the last five years.
On employment matching, Griffith pointed to the National Job Bank, launched in 2022, noting that by 2025, more than 11,387 job seekers were registered, over 2,157 vacancies were solicited directly from employers, and 647 persons were successfully employed through the platform, many of them aged 18 to 35.
Responding to questions about enforcement capacity, Griffith said staffing for occupational safety and health has expanded, noting that the country now has more than 32 health and safety officers, up from nine posts in 2015.
He also reported that between 2020 and 2025, the Ministry conducted 12,833 labour inspections and supplemented these with 6,186 occupational safety and health inspections across high- and low-risk sectors, including mining, agriculture, construction, and oil and gas.
Griffith said these efforts coincided with declines in workplace accidents, including a 12.78% fall in work-related fatalities and an almost 50% drop in non-fatal accidents.
Griffith also announced plans to establish a national manpower agency, which will include a labour market observatory to generate labour market information and statistics on labour demand, skills gaps, wage trends, and compliance metrics, framing the move as necessary for evidence-based planning in a rapidly growing economy.
In another major announcement, Griffith said Budget 2026 will also support a prisoners’ capacity development programme aimed at training, retraining, upskilling and rehabilitating inmates, while enabling them to earn and support their families during incarceration.
“Budget 2026 will also see the roll-out of a prisoner’s capacity development programme to train, retrain, skill, upskill and rehabilitate inmates,” he said as he commended the budget to the House for full endorsement.
