At Kwebanna…
DIGICEL commissioned its second green cellular site at Kwebanna, North West District, in Region One (Barima/Waini) on Wednesday.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, was among those present at the commissioning of the solar energy powered facility in the Amerindian community, where residents took advantage of the deals offered and purchased cellular phones. Chief Executive Officer of Digicel, Mr. Gregory Dean recalled that the first such site became operational at Wakapoa two weeks ago and thanked the minister and government  officials for allowing the company to provide its service at the locations.
Dean disclosed that Digicel is planning to take the service to Red Hill and Matthews Ridge, also in North West District, before year end.
He said, next year, the company will offer the service at Ituni. He was happy that Kwebanna welcomed the intervention and assured the community that subscribers there will benefit from the same level of customer service as the rest of Guyana.
In his remarks, Minister Anthony said, with the latest venture, Digicel has provided new opportunities and, as such, the lives of   residents will be enhanced.
He told the audience that the historic occasion will revolutionise future activities in the village.
Anthony said the Government has been working very hard to take development countrywide, especially to the hinterland, because of the knowledge that, with a sparse population in expansive territory, it is often difficult to accomplish as it would like.
However, it has been trying, through the regional administration, to take what is considered necessary to the sub-region.
Anthony explained that his ministry has various programmes and it, too, has been pushing them in the region.
He said he is aware that the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs has had a vibrant presence there and has been on the ground to get people to understand the government’s developmental thrusts in those areas.
Anthony said, in fact, quite recently, he was privileged to be a part of the National Toshaos Conference where President Bharrat Jagdeo spoke in detail about the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

Good things
The minister said the LCDS has a number of good things for Kwebanna, among them  that it can accelerate development in those areas and the Amerindian Affairs Ministry has been spending a substantial amount of money to develop agricultural and other projects that the community would have proposed.
Anthony said Toshao Troy Peters would have related to villagers how the LCDS can help sustainable development and deliver electricity to some communities.
The minister said he is aware that many the hinterland communities do not have electrical current and have been seeking to get solar panels.
He said the government has been helping with that kind of development because electricity would allow children to study longer at nights and better their education.
Anthony said government has invested close to $20 billion on education and many  hinterland children can now benefit from scholarships to various city secondary schools.
He said his ministry has also trained hinterland students at Kuru Kuru College, in technical skills that are relevant to things happening in their community.
“Children from some of these communities have benefited from carpentry, masonry and a number of other things. When we talk about government development, it is in a comprehensive way in which we want to develop our people,” Anthony said.
He said the Wednesday event was another step in that developmental process coming from the private sector, a good partner to do business with in communities.
Anthony noted that Digicel has established a number of sites, offering service that is good and creating opportunities for  being in contact with family and promotion of business.
“In keeping with the LCDS vision that President Jagdeo talked about, we want to use renewable energy and Digicel is using it for its cellular sites in the hinterland locations, which is a massive investment used to improve telecommunication service,” he commented.

Create opportunities
Anthony added that President Jagdeo would like every family on the coastland to have a laptop computer but, in hinterland communities, a building will be equipped with several computers which will be connected to the Internet for villagers to use for building their businesses and for gathering information which will create opportunities.                                                 
The minister also recognised the work of Digicel, which he described as a good corporate citizen and congratulated the company for enhancing cellular service to Kwebanna and its environs.
Kwebanna Toshao Peters expressed his excitement at the Digicel initiative which he is confident will benefit the community significantly.
Regional Chairman Fermin Singh also thanked Digicel for the service and government for the support so that their communication link could deliver improvement. 
He said: “Digicel has brought technology to us and we want our children to be computer literate.”
Singh said it is his hope that every home will have access to a computer for networking and business and he reminded the audience that Amerindians are the keepers of the interior.
At the function, pupils of Kwebanna Primary School gave a special welcome to the minister and the Digicel team with a rhyme and a revised  Digicel poem.
Present, too, was permanent secretary in the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Mr. Colin Croal and Mr. Norman Whittaker, Liaison Officer to Amerindian Affairs Minister, Mrs. Pauline Sukhai.