5,000 Jobs Created in Region Six Through Infrastructure

Between November 2024 and March 2025, over 5,000 jobs were generated in Region Six thanks to 612 road construction projects. With 409 additional contracts set to be awarded soon, the Public Works Ministry is intensifying local employment and money circulation in the community.

Opportunity Insight: Small contractors, material suppliers, and service providers like transporters and equipment rental firms can benefit directly. The ongoing rollout creates a stable ecosystem for auxiliary businesses and workforce development.

House Lot Allocations Accelerated in Region Six

All Region Six residents who applied for house lots by December 31, 2024, will receive allocations this year, according to President Ali. Palmyra is also getting new housing units for young professionals. A similar backlog in Region Three will be cleared by September.

Real Estate Implication: Developers, contractors, and home goods businesses stand to benefit from a surge in housing development. Ancillary services like surveying, interior design, and retail will also see increased demand.

Top 3 Small Enterprise Opportunities

1. Digital Services Onboarding for Farmers and Vendors

With the upcoming national digital payment platform, there will be demand for onboarding services to help market vendors, micro-retailers, and farmers adopt digital payments and e-commerce ordering.

Opportunity: Offer training, device set-up, and service packages tailored to low-tech users in rural areas (e.g., QR code printing, WhatsApp ordering, cashless POS systems).

Why Now: President Ali’s announcement signals immediate government support and societal push toward digitisation, especially in agriculture and commerce.

2. Mechanised Agro-Coops Facilitation

As sugar workers are invited to form ownership groups to operate machinery and improve earnings, small businesses can form or manage mechanised co-op units or offer training and compliance services.

Opportunity: Legal, financial, and operations consultants can assist in the formation, management, and optimisation of these worker-owned units.

Note: This aligns with global trends of decentralised agricultural production with productivity incentives.

3. Mobile Licensing & E-Gov Assistance Booths

With digital kiosks coming for services like license renewals, small firms can launch mobile public service support desks in markets, transport hubs, and rural areas to assist residents.

Opportunity: Charge a nominal service fee to help people use e-kiosks or apps for driver’s licenses, permits, and digital payments.

Why It’s Viable: Government push for self-service tech is real, but digital literacy remains low—creating a natural market.

Top 3 Medium Enterprise Opportunities

1. Port Logistics & Cold Storage Operations (Region 2 & 6)

The planned US$285M Berbice port and the Parika port expansion present immediate needs for mid-sized logistics firms to provide container handling, cold storage, and regional distribution.

Opportunity: Lease warehouse space, invest in last-mile distribution to interior regions, or develop a cold chain trucking fleet to serve agri-exporters and regional markets.

Comment: Position early to benefit from export demand and surplus port activity from Suriname trade links.

2. Health Tech Platform Integration & Remote Clinic Support

With mobile phones soon linked to clinics and digital appointments, medium-sized firms can build health management platforms, appointment systems, or telemedicine APIs tailored to the Ministry of Health’s infrastructure.

Opportunity: Partner with health centers to offer SaaS-style platforms, integrate diagnostic tools, or manage backend scheduling for rural clinics.

Note: Early-mover advantage is key as digitisation of public health expands.

3. Tech-Enabled Vocational Training Centers

With 1,000 more individuals to be trained under WIIN, and demand for skilled trades rising in infrastructure and manufacturing, there’s room for accredited training centers using virtual modules or hybrid learning formats.

Opportunity: Offer welding, carpentry, or electrical trade certifications with integrated job placement pipelines linked to infrastructure contracts.

Note: Medium firms can differentiate by combining physical and digital delivery, and monetising via government partnerships or donor funding.

Top 3 Large Enterprise Opportunities

1. Industrial-Scale Sugar Mechanisation Services

As GuySuCo shifts toward full-scale mechanisation and recapitalisation, large agribusiness firms can offer full-suite services: machinery leasing, maintenance, agri-analytics, and crop yield optimization.

Opportunity: Position as a B2G vendor or Public-Private Partner (PPP) to provide bundled equipment and services across 6,000+ hectares earmarked for mechanisation.

Insight: Sugar will remain subsidised and politically important, so risk is partially mitigated by government support.

2. Data Infrastructure & Digital Identity Integration

The government’s broad rollout of digital payments, medical appointments, licensing, and smart surveillance requires robust cloud infrastructure, biometric ID systems, and data integration solutions.

Opportunity: Build enterprise-level platforms that integrate national identity systems with payment, health, and law enforcement applications.

Note: Collaborations with telcos, fintechs, and regional tech firms may help capture this long-term opportunity.

3. Regional Transportation & Multimodal Freight Systems

With the Parika and Berbice ports under development and the four-lane highway to Moleson Creek underway, large transport firms can create multimodal transport systems integrating shipping, road, and cross-border freight.

Opportunity: Develop bonded logistics parks, invest in shipping terminals, or acquire ferry/haulage fleets for goods moving between Suriname, Brazil, and coastal Guyana.

Strategic View: This positions firms at the core of Guyana’s emergence as a continental trade hub.

Side Hustle Ideas Based On Today’s Developments

1. Digital Government Service Assistant (Mobile or Home-Based)

What it is: Help people in your community navigate new digital government services (license renewals, medical appointments, housing applications, digital payments).

Why it works: As the government rolls out digital kiosks and mobile platforms, many citizens—especially older or less tech-savvy individuals—will need help accessing services. You can offer guided support for a small service fee.

Start-up Needs: A smartphone or laptop, a printer, and basic internet access. Offer services from home or set up in front of a busy supermarket or market area on weekends.

2. E-Commerce Consolidation & Resale Agent

What it is: Create a small-scale buying and delivery service for rural vendors and individuals to order goods from Georgetown using your digital access and network.

Why it works: President Ali mentioned the new ability for people to order stock online instead of traveling to Georgetown. You can act as a digital middleman—taking bulk orders, arranging pickups, and marking up for resale or delivery.

Start-up Needs: A small delivery partnership (taxi, bus, or driver), a basic ordering system (WhatsApp or Google Forms), and consistent sourcing connections in Georgetown.

3. Cold Storage Aggregator for Farmers and Vendors

What it is: Rent or build a small cold storage space near a market or farm cluster and charge vendors/farmers a small daily or weekly fee to store perishable goods.

Why it works: With multiple port and agri-export projects underway, demand for cold storage is growing, but small vendors can’t afford their own. A shared-use micro cold room can support fishers, vegetable sellers, or agro-processors.

Start-up Needs: Shared refrigeration unit (can start with one converted freezer in a secure location), solar backup if needed, and simple booking/payment tracking.

Each of these side hustles leverages:

• the ongoing digitisation of government and commerce,

• Guyana’s logistical and infrastructure gaps, and

• the shift toward modernised agriculture and trade.

They are designed for quick start-up, low overheads, and strong scalability. Let me know if you’d like a startup checklist or financial projection template for any.