Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport - Guyana

Mahdia Engagement 🇬🇾
Hon. Steven Jacobs- Minister of Culture,Youth and Sport joined Minister Pauline Sukhai in meeting with sportsmen and women from Mahdia and Campbelltown.

Government Advances Vision for Orange Economy Through Landmark Stakeholders Consultation

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport successfully hosted the inaugural Orange Economy Stakeholders Consultation under the theme, “Orange Economy: Unlocking Guyana’s Cultural & Creative Industries Potential.”

The consultation brought together creatives, cultural practitioners, entrepreneurs, private sector representatives, policymakers, development partners and government officials for meaningful discussions on advancing Guyana’s cultural and creative industries as key contributors to national development, with a strong focus on job creation and sustainable employment opportunities for young people and communities across the country.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Hon. Charles Ramson MP, joined Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Hon. Susan Rodrigues MP, and Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Hon. Steven Jacobs MP, in leading discussions focused on positioning the Orange Economy as a pillar of economic diversification, job creation, and sustainable growth.

In his opening presentation, Minister Jacobs highlighted the impact of the creative sector, noting that 2,284 creatives were actively involved in Guyana’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, demonstrating the depth and diversity of local talent. He further revealed that more than 38,000 persons attended the various Jubilee events, underscoring the growing public interest in cultural and creative activities and the sector’s expanding role in generating livelihoods and employment opportunities through large-scale cultural programming.

In her remarks, Minister Rodrigues highlighted the strong relationship between the tourism and creative sectors, noting that while they are distinct industries, they are deeply interconnected and complementary. She explained that tourism creates valuable markets and opportunities for creatives, while the creative sector enriches the tourism product by showcasing Guyana’s culture, heritage and unique identity. She further emphasized that the Orange Economy enhances visitor experiences by encouraging longer stays, higher spending and increased employment opportunities across hospitality, events, entertainment and creative services, through culture, art, music, festivals, gastronomy and other creative expressions.
Delivering the feature address, Minister Ramson emphasized the Government’s commitment to developing the Orange Economy as a key pillar of national development and economic diversification. He noted that the sector has the potential to significantly expand job creation across multiple sub-sectors, including film, music, fashion, events, media production and cultural tourism, while also attracting investment, driving innovation, expanding tourism opportunities and preserving Guyana’s cultural heritage.

He stressed that the stakeholder consultation marks a shift from dialogue to implementation, with a structured mix of immediate, short- and long-term initiatives aimed at advancing the creative industries and translating policy into real jobs and income-generating opportunities for creatives nationwide. Minister Ramson also highlighted Guyana’s growing capacity to support international-standard productions, citing a recent film project that invested approximately US$500,000 locally, generating employment for local cast, crew and service providers.

Providing a global perspective, the Minister referenced how countries such as Dubai, Nigeria and Jamaica have successfully developed specific segments of their orange economies, including film, music, festivals and cultural tourism, transforming creativity into major economic drivers, export industries and large-scale employment sectors. He noted that Guyana can draw lessons from these models while tailoring its own approach to reflect national identity and development priorities.

A major announcement during his address was Guyana’s historic first participation in the Toronto International Film Festival, which he described as a significant opportunity to showcase local talent, attract international partnerships and expand employment pathways within the film and creative industries.
Participants examined opportunities and challenges across a wide range of creative sectors, including film, music, fashion, visual arts, literary arts, performing arts, cultural tourism, festivals, gastronomy, media production, heritage and entertainment. Through interactive presentations and breakout sessions, stakeholders shared recommendations aimed at strengthening policy support, improving access to financing, enhancing skills development, expanding market opportunities and increasing the global competitiveness of Guyana’s creative products and services, with a central emphasis on scaling job creation within the Orange Economy.

The engagement forms part of the Government’s commitment to fostering an enabling environment for creatives and cultural entrepreneurs while ensuring that culture remains an integral component of Guyana’s development agenda and a sustainable source of employment.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport remains committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders to unlock the full potential of Guyana’s cultural and creative industries and to create sustainable opportunities for artists, innovators and entrepreneurs across the country.

Over 400 Youths to Benefit from National Expedition Programme

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, through its Department of Youth and the President's Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) Medal of Service Programme, successfully conducted a Pre-Expedition Training Exercise at the Kuru Kuru Training Centre (KKTC) along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway from June 26-28, 2026.

The training forms part of preparations for the upcoming National Expedition Programme, which will engage more than 400 young people from communities across Guyana at the end of June.

The exercise commenced with a four-mile hike from Umbrella Resort to KKTC, lasting approximately two and a half hours. Upon arrival, more than 90 youth leaders were divided into groups and immersed in a series of challenging activities designed to test and strengthen their leadership, teamwork, and survival skills.

Training sessions began as early as 5:00 a.m. and concluded near midnight each day, reflecting the intensity and discipline required for successful expedition participation. Activities included campcraft, basic survival techniques, watermanship and water safety training, wilderness first aid, physical fitness exercises, expedition conduct, navigation, and leadership development.

These activities were designed to teach, reinforce, and assess critical life skills such as time management, self-discipline, leadership, conflict resolution, analytical thinking, dexterity, first aid, campcraft, watermanship, and navigation.

The rigorous programme challenged participants physically, mentally, and emotionally while advancing several key objectives, including:

• Providing leaders with the practical and theoretical knowledge required to effectively manage national expeditions.

• Familiarising leaders with the environmental conditions and challenges associated with expedition activities.

• Fostering greater unity, teamwork, and interdependence among unit leaders.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport remains committed to the continued growth and expansion of the President's Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) Medal of Service Programme. Through initiatives such as these, the Ministry continues to equip young people with essential life skills, promote personal development, and nurture the next generation of leaders.

Through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Sports Liaison and former West Indies cricketer Assad Fudadin conducted an engaging cricket training session at Christ Church Secondary School.
With the Inter-Schools Cricket Competition fast approaching, students benefited from a valuable on-field experience designed to sharpen their skills, build confidence, and promote discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

Pepsi Hikers and GCC Elites are GHB Diamond Jubilee male and female champs

The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) brought the curtains down on their Diamond Jubilee First Division male and female Field Tournament sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS) on Monday night under lights at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Held in observance of Guyana’s 60th Independence Diamond Jubilee celebrations, Guyana’s leading Hockey players along with dozens of emerging stars, enjoyed the world class Providence turf for five days of scintillating action.

In the men’s final, Pepsi Hikers led by tournament MVP Jamarj Assanah on his birthday, got the better of Old Fort Top Form, 4-2 to take the championship. Christian Sumeer was named the Best Goalkeeper.

On the distaff side, MVP Carolyn Deane led GCC Elites to a resounding 9-1 demolition of Hikers to claim the championship trophy. Kendra Gordon was adjudged the Best Goalkeeper.

GHB President Phillip Fernandes expressed gratitude to Hon. Charles Ramson Jr. M.P, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport and Hon. Steven Jacobs M.P, Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport for sponsoring the tournament, noting that it was a huge success.