Enmore call centre to provide over 300 jobs – Finance Minister

…more call centres planned for Budget 2022

The Enmore call centre, one of the several projects that languished under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, will provide over 300 jobs once it is operational.

This assurance was given by Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, who visited the East Coast Demerara (ECD) community on Saturday along with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha to distribute $250,000 grant to severed sugar workers.
“Right behind me here, you can see that building over there. We had constructed that building with the intention that a call centre would be established there. That building was conceptualised by President Irfaan Ali when he was Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce. And we have built buildings like this elsewhere.”
“There’s one in Tuschen, there’s one here, there’s one in Linden. And we will be building more in Budget 2022. With the intention of partnering with call centre companies that will establish operations here. And I myself visited here, just a few weeks ago, with one and two operators who are interested in establishing a call centre in Enmore.”
According to the Minister, there are a number of young people in Enmore who are searching for jobs. The Minister assured that very shortly, the Enmore call centre will be up and running and creating over 300 jobs.
“Very soon the call centre will be up and running and creating in excess of 300 jobs right in this community. And first and foremost, you know who those people are? First and foremost, those people will be your children, your grandchildren, your nieces and nephews. Right here in Enmore. And we’re going to be doing many similar,” Dr Singh informed the gathering, which included current and former Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) workers.
The Enmore call centre has a long history, dating back to December 2014 when a $116 million contract was approved to construct the call centre at Enmore and another $114 million contract was awarded for the construction of a call centre at Tuschen.
These projects were executed under the Rural Development Fund and fell under the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce. It was reported that construction for both centres was supposed to commence on January 15, 2015.
However, the then People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government would soon exit Government after losing the May 2015 elections and the call centre projects languished under its successor APNU/AFC Government.
As late as May 2017, the then Ministry of Business (now Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce) had reported that works were still being done on the Enmore call centre. In fact, the Ministry had told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which was then being chaired by now President Irfaan Ali, that liquidated damages had not even been applied against the contractor.
A call centre is a centralised office used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. An inbound call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outbound call centres are operated for telemarketing, solicitation of charitable or political donations, debt collection and market research. (G3)