Silica City will showcase Guyana as an example of tech-driven economy – Ali

…says BPOs have vital role to play in supporting such economies

The transformative Silica City, on which work is currently ongoing, will be an example to the world of Guyana and what can be achieved in a technology driven society and economy. This is according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali.
While speaking at the ribbon cutting to mark the expansion of Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) Teleperformance, the President noted that initiatives such as Silica City are linked to the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which speaks of the development of a technology driven society.

“We want this city to be a smart city. Already, we are talking to international players on having an innovative village within the city itself. And the services you provide will be of tremendous support for the development of this city.”
“So that is one of the most demonstrative physical infrastructures that will showcase Guyana, as a leading example of a tech driven economy in the future. And all I’m speaking about is captured in the Low Carbon Development Strategy,” President Ali further explained.
Preliminary works at the Government’s model Silica City on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway has commenced to pave the way for the construction of the first 100 homes. Works at the site commenced on January 14, 2023, by one of two contractors, Geraldo Alphonso.
Silica City, Guyana’s first smart urban centre, is intended to be a smart city, powered by renewable energy and developed with the Administration’s revised LCDS, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and goal 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which speaks to building sustainable cities and communities, in mind.
Silica City will initially cater for just over 3000 households in the first five years, and eventually grow to house more than 12,500 households when completed. The first phase of the project will see an initial 400 young professional homes being constructed. It was previously reported that the Housing Ministry had already begun shortlisting persons for these homes.
President Ali, during a recent visit to Kuru-Kururu, told the residents that soon construction will commence on the first 100 homes within the city and there will be employment opportunities for young people.
“[For those] who want to work in the construction sector, we are building a number of houses in this area… 100 homes we starting [to construct] very soon. They need workers. They need skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled workers,” he posited.
The Head of State had engaged residents from a number of communities and squatter settlements on the highway during which he announced three new regularized housing developments would be established along the major roadway – a move that will improve the lives of residents there.
The Guyanese leader had explained to the residents that due to the development of Silica City along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) team will have to examine the plan for the project and ascertain whether the squatting area falls within the boundaries of it.
Only last week, a whopping $2.1 billion contact was inked to develop Silica City along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway during a contract signing ceremony at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
This is one of the 126 contracts exceeding $56 billion that was awarded for infrastructural works under the Housing Ministry as part of its work programme for 2023. Housing Minister Collin Croal at the signing ceremony explained that significant investments will be made in key project areas – a major one being the Silica City project which will be inhabited by 2025.(G3)