APNU+AFC handed out over $233M in SLED funding

GOVERNMENT handed out more than $233M in grants under the now-much-criticised
Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) programme during the 2015-
2020 tenure of the coalition A Partnership for National Unity Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC)
government.
The grant funding back approved small business ideas in seven of the 10 Regions according to
documents seen by aroundtheregions.com. There were no approvals of groups from
Barima/Waini (Regions One); East Berbice/Corentyne (Region Six) and Potaro/Siparuni (Region
Eight) according to the documents.
Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton is dissatisfied with the management and yields from the
problem-plagued initiative under the now main parliamentary opposition blaming it on
corruption and ordered a probe by Chief Coop Development Officer, Ms. Perlina Gifth.
Hamilton cited lack of thoroughness coupled by flawed thinking for the underachievement
among many of the SLED beneficiaries.
“There are some people who have this attitude that CIDA (Canadian International Development
Agency) or EU (European Union.) money is not government money. But it’s the Guyana
government that is responsible for the intervention. It would be an inflow coming to Guyana,
whether its external money or our (local) money you will have to account for it,” the Minister
emphasised.

“I will ensure that people account for the monies given to them. I don’t know why people think
that if I give you a million dollar this year and you can’t account for it that I give you more,” he
promised
Hamilton reiterated the need for coops to be transparent and accountable, irrespective of the
source of funding. Each, Hamilton said, will show proof how monies were spent as part of their
statutory responsibility.

“We will ensure that they are transparent and to see, to ensure that they can be transparent and
accountable, we have to see where the money went, we are not interested in who is running it,”
he had revealed.
A broader probe into the SLED operations is forthcoming, the government official forecasted.
Commenting further on the SLED programme, the Minister said a full investigation will be.
“There will be a (wider) investigation into how the SLED monies were disbursed. “The officer
that was responsible must give a document as to all the groups in Guyana that got monies: who
are their principals? and for what projects these monies were given?” the Minister asked
rhetorically.
One project was awarded in Region Two for a total of 5,925,029.00, Region Three had five
projects totaling 9,489,175.00, Region Four spent a total of 7,907,103.31 representing the 22
individual projects that were executed as no group received funding in Region Four. For Region
Five’s two projects they received 11,680,076.00 while Region Seven lone project received
802,310.00. Region Ten had 20,767,974.00 for their five group projects, while Region Nine had
a whopping 163,993,650.00 representing their 14 group projects.