US$7M rehabilitated Arthur Chung Conference Centre handed over to Govt

After months of rehabilitation works, the newly refurbished Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) was on Thursday handed back over to the Guyana Government in a grand ceremony that paid homage to the former Guyanese Head of State.

Former President Arthur Chung, who served as Guyana’s Head of State from 1970 to 1980, would have celebrated his 100th birth anniversary in January, thus making the commemoration much more symbolic.
Upon the completion of construction back in 2006, the Chinese Government handed over the Conference Centre to Guyana. The facility was then renamed after Guyana’s first President in 2015 when the coalition Government took office.
Having funded the construction of the Conference Centre, the Chinese Government in late 2016 retook possession of the facility and under the 2011-2012 Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement between Guyana and China, rehabilitation works were carried out.
The US$7 million project was undertaken by China Railway Group, the same Chinese company that constructed the facility over 10 years ago. It was completed within the 18-month timeline.
In reflection on the work of the former President during the ceremony, his niece, Leila Walker, recalled his early life and his journey in the Public Sector serving Guyana.

Meanwhile, President David Granger said the occasion is even more symbolic as it pays tribute to an eminent citizen and true patriot, who guided the country amidst uncertainly and was the face of a newborn Guyana on the international front.
“His appointment was historic… He became President at an important stage in Guyanese history. It was a period of international turmoil and national transformation… And he helped with his own character and personality to shape the identity of our new republic amidst all that was taking place in our country and around the world,” President Granger noted.
According to the Head of State, former President Chung had cemented the foundation of relations between China and Guyana, which has strengthened over the years and is evident in the many contributions the Asian nation has made towards local development.
“The Arthur Chung Conference Centre now, and for generations to come, will ensure that the contributions of Arthur Chung… and of the People’s Republic of China will be remembered and sustained,” the President posited.
These sentiments were shared by Chinese Ambassador, Cui Jianchun, who said his Administration will continue to support and deepen its relation with Guyana. In fact, he noted that while much has been done over the years, there are much more avenues for Chinese to lend assistance to Guyana, something which he is committed to work on.
Among the works done at the facility are upgrades to the exterior and interior of the building, and the main and smaller conference rooms were also refurbished, with the former now being equipped with a new digital conference system and interpretation booth that can process up to three languages simultaneously. There is also a new WiFi system that will make the ACCC an Internet hotspot as well as an IT room upgraded with 20 new computers.