House approves $57.5 billion Supplementary Appropriation Bill

The National Assembly on Friday approved a $57.5 billion Supplementary Appropriation Bill to support ongoing development initiatives across the country. The bill was piloted by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh.

The bill had been presented to the House on May 16 by the minister for additional funds for a number of major projects and programmes, as the country continues its development trajectory and undergoes vast economic expansion. It was approved by the House following extensive debate by both sides of the House.

The bill will allow for the government to complete a range of programmes such as its expansive electricity initiative under the Office of the Prime Minister programme amounting to $29.5 billion. Of this amount, $28.8 billion will go towards supporting the upgrade and expansion of electricity distribution networks. This will complement and support the 300 MW Natural Gas Power Plant currently under construction, which will result in energy costs reducing by 50 per cent and allow for the provision of reliable and adequate power to meet the energy demands of our growing economy and unlock the potential of the manufacturing and industrial sector. In addition, $738 million is catered for the expansion of coverage to 17 previously unserved communities, while the government has provided solar panels to a large number of hinterland communities that are not in close proximity to the national grid.

Under the Office of the Prime Minister current programme, $7.8 billion was approved to support, upgrade, and maintain approximately 157 km of the existing distribution network to address the immediate needs of citizens. This will boost GPL’s capacity to provide reliable electricity services to customers.

The ongoing $100,000 cash grant initiative is also catered for in the bill, and for this, an additional $3 billion has been allocated. So far, as of May 21, 2025, 617,398 citizens have registered for the cash grant across the country, with 602,927 cheques having already been cut and 96 per cent distributed. It is projected that an additional 12,000 persons will be registered by the end of June.

Government is currently distributing and registering persons for the cash grant at NDCs and RDCs in the Regions and the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue.

Meanwhile, a further $12 billion will allow for continuation of infrastructure development for government’s aggressive housing programme under the Ministry of Housing and Water. In addition, an amount of $1.5 billion has been allocated for the continuation of hinterland roads for improved connectivity to the hinterland from the coast under the Ministry of Public Works, along with $1.4 billion for farm-to-market roads in various areas to support the growth and expansion of the agriculture sector. (DPI)