President Jennifer Simons will deliver her second Annual Address today. In addition to the plans for 2027, attention will be focused on the progress of the policy intentions she presented last year in the areas of the economy, education, healthcare, security, and oil and gas.
President Jennifer Simons will deliver her Annual Address 2026 today, Wednesday, September 30, 2026, during an Extraordinary Public Meeting of De Nationale Assemblée (Suriname’s parliament). The meeting will be held in the Congreshal this year. This will be followed by the presentation of the draft budget for the 2027 fiscal year to DNA chairman Michael Adhin.
De Nationale Assemblée previously announced that preparations for the meeting have been made with facilities, protocol and security services. According to the official announcement by De Nationale Assemblée, discussions included practical, logistical and security aspects. Due to the meeting, roads in the vicinity of the Congreshal will be temporarily diverted.
For Simons, this will be her second Annual Address since taking office as president. In her first address on September 30, 2025, she not only presented plans for 2026, but also outlined the broader direction for the 2025 to 2030 term of government. The government set a sustainable welfare society as its long-term objective. Key News previously reported on preparations for this year’s Annual Address.
Annual Address 2026 follows broad 2025 agenda
An important part of President Simons’ first Annual Address in 2025 was economic and financial recovery. Simons warned at the time that fiscal space was limited. The government wanted to safeguard fiscal balance, increase state revenues and at the same time prevent vulnerable groups from being disproportionately affected.
Economic diversification and the promotion of entrepreneurship were cited as important components of the policy. The government wanted to make Suriname less dependent on traditional sources of income and create more room for other economic sectors. Improving tax collection also received explicit attention. Simons stated that existing taxes had to be collected and remitted more effectively. DNA summarised that financial direction at the time as reforming without new tax increases.
Education was to undergo major reform
Education also occupied a prominent place in the 2025 Annual Address. Simons stated that no child should be left behind, regardless of whether they live in Paramaribo, a district or a remote village in the interior. The government wanted to ensure that the school year would henceforth start orderly and on time on October 1.
A multi-day education conference was also announced for 2026, which, with broad involvement from society and education professionals, should contribute to the development of a new education system. Investments in school buildings, transport, teaching materials and other necessary facilities were also part of the announced direction.
The plans for 2027 follow a broad reform agenda that Simons presented last year.
Simons linked education policy to social justice and Suriname’s future development. The government stated that education should form the basis for young people to be able to genuinely participate in the development of new economic sectors later on.
Healthcare was to be strengthened
Simons also announced reforms within healthcare. The government wanted, among other things, to work towards improved access to healthcare, strengthening primary care and improving the position of healthcare personnel. The health sector has faced financial and staffing problems for some time.
The policy direction formed part of a broader social agenda through which the government wanted to limit the consequences of economic reforms for citizens. Healthcare, social protection and education were linked to the aim of a society in which economic growth must ultimately lead to improved living conditions.
Security and stronger government institutions
Another area was justice and security. The government wanted to invest in strengthening the police and judiciary and improve the approach to crime. Cross-border crime and other forms of organised crime were also part of the security agenda.
In addition, good governance, transparency and strengthening government institutions received attention. The government presented digitalisation as a means of making government services more accessible and processes more transparent and efficient.
Oil and gas central to economic preparations
The development of oil and gas was also a strategic dossier in the first Annual Address. The government stated that Surinamese people should benefit as much as possible from future developments in this sector. According to the announced direction, this means that not only foreign companies, but also local businesses and workers must be given opportunities.
Training, certification and preparation of Surinamese workers and businesses are important for this. Expected oil revenues were also placed within a broader discussion on the responsible management of revenues from natural resources.
The government wants to prevent offshore oil development from leading solely to higher state revenues without other parts of the economy benefiting from it. Investments in human capital, infrastructure and local enterprise must therefore align with the growth of the energy sector.
Housing construction and affordable housing
Housing was also cited by Simons as an important policy area. The government pointed to the need to increase access to affordable homes, particularly for groups that find it difficult to finance a home on the commercial market.
That task becomes more important in the run-up to the expected economic changes resulting from oil and gas. According to the policy approach, economic growth can also lead to higher land prices, more expensive homes and wider disparities if measures are not taken in time.
What will be important in Annual Address 2026
With today’s Annual Address, attention shifts to policy for 2027. It will become clear which plans from 2025 will be continued, which components will be adjusted and which new priorities the government will link to next year’s budget.
The official agenda of De Nationale Assemblée for September 30 lists, in addition to the president’s address, the presentation of the national budget for the 2027 fiscal year. This links the policy intentions to the government’s financial plans.
Following the first Annual Address in September 2025, Key News also published an extensive summary titled “President Simons’ Annual Address: course towards recovery, unity and sustainable development”. It addressed, among other things, economic recovery, social protection, education, healthcare and the government’s broader development direction.
According to Article 81 of the Constitution, the president speaks annually, no later than on the first working day of October, during an extraordinary meeting of De Nationale Assemblée on the policy the government intends to pursue in the upcoming fiscal year. The Annual Address is followed by the presentation and further consideration of the budget.
Wednesday’s Annual Address therefore also provides an opportunity to compare the new plans for 2027 with the policy intentions of a year ago. Particularly in the areas of the economy, education, healthcare, security, housing, and oil and gas, it will have to become clear what direction the government presents for the upcoming fiscal year.
