$10.8B approved for Culture, Youth and Sports

Feb 14, 2026 News

…opposition probes delay in cultural policy, copyright legislation

(Kaieteur News) – The Committee of Supply on Thursday approved $10.9 billion for the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports as part of the 2026 Budget estimates.

During consideration of the estimates and expenditures, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Charles Ramson outlined several planned developments within the cultural sector, with particular focus on the newly formed “orange economy.” He said the allocated funds will support its expansion and further assist in the development of local artists.

“In our manifesto, we committed to expanding the development of our orange economy,” Ramson said. “Guyana is in a very unique situation. The industries and relevant sectors connected to culture are evolving. The singers would make a lot of money on air time that they get on the radio. Revenue is now being earned from Spotify now than broadcasting on radio because the market is larger.

$10.8B approved for Culture, Youth and Sports

Minister of Culture Youth and Sports Charles Ramson

However, members of the opposition raised concerns about the status of the country’s cultural policy and copyright legislation, arguing that delays are affecting local artists, particularly in securing recognition and protection for their work.

In response, Ramson said both the cultural and sports policies have been completed, but have not yet been published due to the election season. He explained that the policies can be released once cabinet approves.

“What is currently being worked on is the cultural policy,” the minister stated. “We established a cabinet-plus committee in November, and since then several meetings, which is about to be submitted to the cabinet. The holding back of the cultural policy was similar along the lines of basis, that what is contained and emanated from the stakeholder engagements and recommendations coming from there should also be distilled, filtered and then be contained in the policy,” he said.

He added that once public consultations on the sports policy are completed, no further work will be required before publication.

When questioned about whether the review of the legal framework would include copyright legislation, Ramson confirmed that the government has committed to updating the country’s copyright laws. “We have made a commitment that we will be reviewing and updating our copyright legislation. When we insert those points in our manifesto those are our commitments and we have to stick to those. But it won’t be something that will happen immediately so that it’s rushed,” he said.

Meanwhile, in addressing questions about current expenditure allocations for culture, Ramson said the remaining funds will be used for design and rehabilitation works at the national museum, the engagement of services for national events, and the development of the national music festival, as outlined in the party’s manifesto.

The minister further disclosed that in 2025, the ministry hosted 87 government-related events that engaged youths and featured cultural performances.

“That exceeded our target set in 2024 going into 2025. Government programmes have expanded, and every national celebration now includes cultural performances as a standard feature,” he said.

Ramson also noted that arrangements are underway to bring more international artists to Guyana in support of the orange economy and upcoming national events.

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Budget estimates, Charles Ramson, Culture, Youth and Sports'

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