The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs on Thursday wrapped up a two-day leadership workshop for Toshaos and Treasurers of indigenous villages along the coast.
The workshop, titled “Accountability for Good Governance”, saw leaders from regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 being trained in various aspects of management and accountability of their respective communities.
The Ministry said that leadership training for toshaos and councillors is part of its objective for delivering positive outcomes for Amerindian communities in Guyana. It noted that post-Village Council Elections, there is a continuous need for training for Village Councils as it is extremely important for community development.
“Capacity building plays a critical role in facilitating the knowledge requirement as leader(s); in supporting the community planning process, and significantly, spearheading the implementation of long- and short-term village plans. [Our objective is] to provide the leader or leaders of villages with knowledge and development in specific areas that will help them achieve their community goals and village development,” the Ministry noted.
The training covered leadership roles, effective communication, personal productivity and capacity building, effective delegation, project proposals and techniques to genuinely execute projects, effective village meetings, objective setting and developing a culture which supports proper accountability and transparency. In addition, leaders were also educated on how to develop their sustainable village plans.
This training programme saw 440 Indigenous leaders and treasurers participating and earning a certificate in leadership capacity building. Next week indigenous leaders in Region Nine would be engaged followed by Regions Seven, Eight and One. The entire programme is scheduled to conclude on December 02.
Minister of Finance Ashni Singh delivered the charge to the Indigenous leaders on Thursday. He stressed the importance of good governance and accountability, while noting that such training programmes align with the government’s values.
“The importance of training programmes such as this cannot possibly be overemphasized…this theme that you have adopted as the theme for your training programme is a theme that we embrace at the highest level of government and that we emphasize every level of government. Good governance is something that we place the highest level of priority to and it’s something that is applicable at all levels of government and at all levels of society,” Singh said.
He told the leaders that they have been elected to serve the people of their villages and should do so in a transparent manner. The Finance Minister also advised that the communities work together to ensure the preservation of their traditions and culture while creating a viable economy within their villages.
“We are, whether in central government or in a village council, we are servants of the people and then that translates into so many other aspects – management of public resources, accountability for financial resources ensuring that we manage people’s money in a responsible manner. In the central government, we take that responsibility very seriously and equally I’m sure that in your communities you take that responsibility very seriously. Managing the resources, managing the assets and managing the financial resources of your community in an accountable manner,” he said.
He also urged the leaders to ensure that their communities are food secure. Additionally, the Minister also spoke at length about the government’s development of the country and its economy.
At the opening ceremony on Wednesday, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai called on the leaders to practice financial accountability in their respective villages, in light of several reports of financial irregularities at village councils.
“If you do bad, it’s reflective on the ministry….and so financial accountability is directly linked to us. The law itself speaks to the village councils submitting annually to the minister, financial statements. I would appeal to all the leaders who are here to start to practice that,” she had said.
The Amerindian Affairs Minister also urged leaders to complete capital projects funded by the government in a timely manner.
At Thursday’s closing ceremony the participants received certificates.
