Govt. seeking $55 billion more four months after passing $1.558 trillion budget

Jun 06, 2026 News

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…$19B for Gas-to-Energy project

(Kaieteur News) – The Government of Guyana (GoG) has approached the National Assembly for an additional $54.889B, a mere four months after the $1.558T budget for 2026 was approved.

Financial Paper Number One of 2026 was tabled in the House by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh during Friday’s Sitting of the National Assembly.

According to the document, government is seeking $4,745,434,053 for current estimates and $50,143,825,110 for capital estimates- a total of $54,889,259,163 in supplementary funding for the period ending 2026-12-31.

The supplementary budget includes $19B more for the controversial Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project in Wales, under the Office of the Prime Minister. The Financial Paper explains that the additional funds are to “facilitate an accelerated work programme.”

The request for more financing to support the project comes after some $10B was allocated in this year’s budget. This request is the largest sum being sought by government.

In addition to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Agriculture also applied for $4.5B more for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA); $8.5B more for the Ministry of Public Works; $496.3M more for the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation- specifically for coastal water supply and maintenance of Hinterland and coastal airstrips.

Meanwhile, the second largest chunk of the supplementary provision falls under the Ministry of Housing for $17.5B being sought to” facilitate an expanded work programme”.

The Ministry of Health has also requested $337.9M to facilitate rental of buildings while the Ministry of Home Affairs applied for $60M in additional resources for an accelerated work programme.

The Financial Paper is expected to be debated in Parliament during the next Sitting, at a date to be fixed.

Once approved, this year’s budget will jump to a staggering $1.613 trillion or approximately US$8B.

Financial recklessness

In an invited comment, parliamentary leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Dr. Terrence Campbell told this newspaper that he was shocked that less than four months after the budget was passed government has returned to the House for more funding.

“Generally, at least in the business world these kinds of supplementary provisions or adjustments to budgets suggest a lack of planning in the first place and I believe that this is the case in relation to the supplementary provision,” Dr. Campbell reasoned.

He pointed out that this year’s budget already allocated $10B for the GTE project, yet a whopping $19B more is being sought for that development. The Member of Parliament explained, “This $19B will supposedly lead to an acceleration of this maligned project. A substantial amount of money is being spent on a project that was mismanaged from the start and for which we have never seen a proper feasibility study.”

While short on detailed information regarding the request for additional resources, the businessman calculated that the supplementary budget accounts for about three or four percent of the fiscal blueprint for 2026, a mere four months after the plan was approved.

To this end, he concluded, “I think it is an indictment on the government of a lack of planning of course what is presented here is really scant on details and again, $19B for a Gas-to-Energy project that has already blown its budget. I think it’s just a further example of financial recklessness by this government.”

In a subsequent statement, the PNC/R said the annual budget process is intended to be a comprehensive exercise through which government priorities, programmes, and expenditures are carefully examined, debated, and approved by the National Assembly.

“Yet, under the PPP/C Administration, supplementary budgets have become routine rather than exceptional. What should be an extraordinary measure reserved for unforeseen circumstances has become an annual feature of government spending,” the party said.

It believes that the National Assembly is increasingly being reduced to a “rubber stamp”, with billions of dollars being brought for approval months after the original budget was passed- a practice that undermines the spirit of parliamentary oversight and weakens the accountability mechanisms that are essential in any democratic society.

“The PNCR and APNU maintain that Guyana’s rapidly growing revenues, particularly from the oil and gas sector, demand stronger, not weaker, financial oversight. Every dollar spent belongs to the people of Guyana and must be accounted for with the highest levels of transparency, prudence and accountability,” the group urged, pointing out that fiscal indiscipline cannot be afforded.

Accounting failure

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed flagged what he described as a “serious oversight” issue affecting the country. He told this publication, “The Government sought and received approval to spend over $1.558 trillion, yet continues to return for more funds while providing limited accountability for how previously approved monies were spent.”

Further, he noted that with its parliamentary majority, he anticipates the continued overriding of deep scrutiny and avoidance of checks and balances to protect the national purse.

The leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party argued, “Guyanese deserve transparency, accountability, and answers about how their money is being managed. They are so corrupt; they asked for 1.558 trillion and they recklessly spent most of that.”

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• Ashni Singh, Gas-to-Energy project, National Budget, supplementary budget

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