Sunday's Guyana Brief: Stabroek News Dies, Nobody Gets Their Money, and Kingston Wharf Belongs to Oil People Now

Good morning, Guyana! ☕

Welcome to Sunday, where we pour one out for Stabroek News, the government pretends to be sad about it, and the entire Kingston Wharf has been commandeered so oil executives can park their yachts. Sorry, “exhibitors.”

Today’s menu: A 39-year-old newspaper dies and everybody has an opinion, the Energy Conference takes over Georgetown’s waterfront, and the Budget debate continues to prove that Parliament is where good ideas go to get shouted at.

📰 Stabroek News Announces Closure — March 15 Is the End

After 39 years of publication, Stabroek News announced Friday that it will cease printing on March 15 and begin voluntary liquidation. The de Caires family cited declining revenue, the digital apocalypse, and — oh yes — $84.4 million in unpaid government advertising debt.

The government’s response was essentially: “So sad. Anyway, have you considered that social media killed them?”

Minister Kwame McCoy called it “regrettable” and blamed “competitive market forces.” Which is a fascinating way to describe the government owing you eighty-four million dollars and not paying it.

The Guyana Press Association called it “a significant loss to the nation’s media landscape and to the democratic fabric of our society.” Which is true. But also: this is now the second Caribbean newspaper to close in weeks, after Trinidad’s Newsday.

The Caribbean Media Extinction Scoreboard:

The Chronicle, meanwhile, published a column titled “God’s Speed Stabroek News” that spent approximately 80% of its word count explaining why Stabroek’s closure was actually Stabroek’s fault. Classy.

⚡ Kingston Wharf Closed for Energy Conference

The Kingston Wharf is closed from today until February 21 so that the fifth annual Guyana Energy Conference can happen at the Marriott Hotel without anyone accidentally seeing a working wharf.

The conference theme is “Building Tomorrow’s Future Today,” which is the kind of phrase that sounds inspiring until you realize it means nothing.

ExxonMobil is a major participant. The conference runs February 17-20. Regular humans who use the wharf for, you know, wharf things, are kindly asked to go somewhere else for a week.

🏛️ House Clears $18.8 Billion in Year-End Spending

Parliament approved an additional $18.8 billion that the government already spent in the final two months of 2025. The money was spent before Parliament saw it. The financial paper was laid in January. The approval happened in February. The spending happened in November.

If this were a restaurant, you’d have already eaten the meal, left the building, and then the waiter would show up at your house three months later asking if the food was okay.

APNU’s Ganesh Mahipaul called it “rubber stamp governance” and demanded a division vote so the record would show they objected. The PPP majority voted yes anyway. Democracy in action.

🏗️ $20 Billion Oil & Gas Training College Opens in Port Mourant

President Ali commissioned the Guyana Technical Training College Inc. (GTTCI) at Port Mourant on Saturday — a US$120 million facility designed to certify Guyanese workers for the oil and gas industry.

Thirty-five graduates have already gained employment offshore, many on the Unity FPSO. Minister Bharrat noted that Guyanese now have the option to stay home instead of emigrating.

The Actually Good News Corner™:

This is… actually good? A training facility that creates certified local workers for the oil industry, which then leads to actual employment? In Region Six? We’ll take it. No jokes. Just a brief, respectful nod.

Okay fine, one joke: the facility cost $20 billion. If we’d spent that on paying Stabroek News, they’d be funded for the next 238 years.

🏥 Gov’t to Partner with Religious Institutions on Primary Healthcare

President Ali announced a new primary healthcare programme in partnership with mosques, churches, and temples — focused on preventing chronic diseases, particularly kidney disease and the need for dialysis.

He made the announcement at the opening of the 2026 Ramadan Village, which is now in its third year and has become one of Guyana’s biggest faith-based cultural events.

⛏️ Small Miners Get Bigger Parcels Under New Land Model

The Ministry of Natural Resources is rolling out a “Troy-like” land-allocation model that will give small miners 50-acre parcels (up from 27 acres) in Regions One, Seven, and Eight. About 225 allocations are expected within three months.

Meanwhile, 400+ pieces of mining equipment have been seized and nearly 100 individuals prosecuted in recent enforcement crackdowns. The message: legal miners get bigger land. Illegal miners get their generators confiscated.

🔍 Quick Hits

• Exxon audit dispute still unresolved — nearly five years after the first audit report, the government and Exxon still can’t agree on a sole expert to settle the dispute. Five. Years.
• Trinidad gets US licences for Venezuela oil & gas activities — Trinidad securing deals while Guyana argues about spreadsheets
• Maha Shivratri observed — President Ali urged deeper social consciousness and unity

📊 The Sunday Scorecard

That’s your Sunday. A newspaper died, a training college was born, and somewhere in between, $18.8 billion was spent and nobody noticed until February.

Stay informed, Guyana. While you still can. 🇬🇾

The Guyana Daily Brief — We’re still here. For now.