MoU signed for GPS to produce 500,000 concrete blocks for Silica City
The Housing and Water Ministry on Friday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Home Affairs Ministry for the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) to produce 500,000 concrete blocks for the development of Silica City, located along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
Production of the blocks would soon commence at the Lusignan Prison, East Coast Demerara (ECD), marking a significant opportunity for prisoners to earn an income.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Sherwyn Greaves, and Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot signed the pact at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Brickdam, Georgetown.
Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal emphasised that the undertaking falls under the Community-based Employment Stimulation Project (CESP) initiated by President Dr Irfaan Ali to create jobs within vulnerable communities.
Ministers Robeson Benn, Susan Rodrigues and Collin Croal, along with other officials after the signing ceremony
“[It] is a startup, and the prison is also an example where we talk about vulnerability. These are persons who will obviously, when they complete their term, be going back to their respective communities, but they will leave with a skill that they can now go back and form their own group and become entrepreneurs,” he declared.
He noted that these ministries could also collaborate on another initiative, wherein the New Amsterdam Prison can supply blocks for the housing development at Palmyra in Region Six.
Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Sherwyn Greaves, signing the MoU
In addition, Minister Susan Rodrigues expressed immense satisfaction with the prison reform initiatives to rehabilitate prisoners. “This is another example of how we can innovate and use various Government programmes to reform the lives of prisoners, and also to stimulate the economy and employment. This is one of the flexibilities of the housing programme,” she highlighted.
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn has said the initiative augurs well for Government’s massive housing drive, and adds to the plethora of undertakings to reform prisoners.
“The fact that we have people in prisons poses a couple of challenges in relation to their rehabilitation, because being in prison could lead to a breakdown of families and communities for those persons…we have been looking at finding ways to have them more active,” Minister Benn noted.
Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, has stressed that the services provided by the prisoners would be of the highest standards.
