Essequibo communities to see major investments, transformation – President Ali

– millions earmarked for development in infrastructure, health, education, agriculture

President Irfaan Ali on Sunday continued his community engagements across the country, visiting several areas along Essequibo, including Leguan, Wakenaam and Suddie.

The President was accompanied by the Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess and several Government Ministers including Public Works Minister Juan Edghill; Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall and National Security Advisor, Captain Gerry Gouveia. The contingent was later joined by Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat.
The contingent visited three playgrounds located in the three areas. While there, the President announced that the Government will be investing resources which will see the rehabilitation and maintenance of these facilities; $1.5 million was earmarked for the Enterprise Ground in Leguan.

$3.5 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation of the Leguan Post Office, which will significantly enhance the facility used by the pensioners there. In Wakenaam, $3 million has been earmarked for improvements to be made to the G-Square Centre Ground while an additional $2 million has been allocated for works along the Essequibo Coast.
“We realise that sports and physical education are an important part of community life,” the President stated.
During his address to the residents of these communities, the Head of State reminded that his Government is one for all of the people and he will work tirelessly to ensure that everyone is included in the national development plans of the country.
“Whether you are nurses, teachers, public servants, rice farmers, labourers, sea defence workers…you are all equal in the eyes of your President and Government, and you will be treated equally. I am a president for all the people. And I say to you here, as I will say it again anywhere else, whether you are nurses or doctors, whether you are farmers or builders, whether you’re a fisherman, or a dentist or a teacher… Everyone will have a better life. You will have better prospects; your family will be better off. But I asked you to give us a chance. We have already delivered so much,” the President noted.
President Ali also reminded of the sweeping measures in the 2020 emergency budget, which will result in the improvement of the livelihoods of all citizens in communities in several key areas.
“In just four short months, we have removed the vat on electricity and water. We have brought back drainage and irrigation support. We have cut back the cost of land lease and rental. We have reduced the costs of licence fees. We are going to give a $25,000 cash grant to every household. In addition to this, we have been able to return the cash grant. You will see an increase of $15,000 from January [2021], and we are not stopping until we reach $50,000 per child before the end of the five years. In the less than four months, we have already increased the pension to $25,000, but we are not going to stop until we have it at $40,000 within these five years; this we are doing for our pensioners.”
He also announced that the residents can look forward to a reduction in electricity costs by as much as 50 per cent.
More importantly, the Head of State also pointed to the benefits to be derived from the removal of VAT on equipment and machinery which will go a long way towards alleviating the burdens placed on residents in predominantly agriculture-based communities.
President Ali also assured of more investment in other critical areas in addition to agriculture; these include education and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
“There are certain growth polls that we have to identify all across the country, which will have special incentives for persons who want to invest in those areas. We know there is great potential for agriculture, for export purposes. This Government will be creating those incentives to motivate investment to come to this region so that we can create jobs, and we can create jobs and better opportunities for people. We know that the cost of electricity has inhibited growth and development. That is why we have started aggressively to work on a number of programmes. One such is the gas to shore project,” President Ali explained to the residents.
The Head of State also pointed to major investments in drainage and irrigation works in the various communities as well as investments into research and development which will lead to improved yields, which he said is critical for “productivity and profitability.”
He emphasised that investing in the people of the communities is equally as important as investing in roads, lights and water. This holistic development, he said, will complement the Government’s overall development agenda.
President Ali reminded the residents in these communities to follow the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines. He also presented sports equipment to several sports clubs in the various communities.
Meanwhile, Minister Edghill and Minister Dharamlall pointed to the massive allocation of millions of dollars in the communities from the Ministries of Infrastructure and Local Government. They assured that the residents will start seeing the results of these initial investments before the end of the year.