Seize new era of opportunities – Jagdeo tells GOAL graduates

…says zero-interest development bank to boost entrepreneurship

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo in his address at Tuesday’s Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) graduation ceremony, urged young professionals to seize emerging opportunities in Guyana’s rapidly evolving economy, particularly in oil and gas, finance, environment, and hospitality.

Specifically, as it related to finance, he announced plans for a new development bank offering zero-interest financing to small and medium enterprises, a move designed to encourage entrepreneurship among graduates.
According to Jagdeo, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government is not only delivering on its promises but is committed to democratising investment and empowering a new generation of Guyanese, who are poised for leadership and delivering high-end services.
“In the financial sector, we’ve already made it clear that we’ll be a big focus in the next term would be financial literacy, financial empowerment, underwriting opportunities in the oil and gas sector and other sectors that would have a guarantee rate of return for small investors. That’s underwritten by the state so we can democratize investments across the country, huge opportunities in the financial sector”.
“Why am I mentioning this? This would be a sector that would grow massively. So, if you’re trained, you have to think about opportunities that would open up in all of these sectors. Don’t think about just coming to work for government too because we’ll be outsourcing a lot of these activities like to create Guyanese companies, locally owned companies that can then supply the services to government,” the Vice President encouraged the graduating student at the National Cultural Centre on Tuesday.
In total, over 2000 persons graduate from the GOAL Scholarships Programme this year, Postgraduate Diplomas, Bachelor’s Degree, GROW and Certificate Programmes, and among them is a total of 580 graduates who received master’s degree recipients on Monday.
Reflecting on the fulfillment of a key 2020 manifesto promise, providing 20,000 online scholarships, a number that has already surpassed over 39,000 scholarships, the Vice President stated that “it’s a gratifying moment. We can go back to the people and say, we promised—and we delivered,” he said.
Further, highlighting the transformative impact of the Local Content Law, Jagdeo noted that more than 1,000 Guyanese companies have already accessed over US$700 million in oil and gas procurement. With over 10,000 Guyanese now working in the sector, he announced that the law will be expanded to include additional sectors, further multiplying job creation.
“There are going to be thousands of new opportunities in the oil and gas sector that you will have to prepare for and the law that we passed would be expanded to include more sectors.”
“You will have tons of opportunities to work and to grow and to live a fruitful life. It depends on you. Everything in life depends on you and the efforts that you make. And so, we can only play a supportive role,” he said.