I AM so thrilled that the Government of Guyana is really making inroads and more than literally too. I was overwhelmed with the news caption in the Chronicle newspaper that said: ‘Government takes Solar Generation course to the Rupununi’. This shows a level of unprecedented seriousness, and the quest to bring some kind of parity to all Guyanese, especially those who have been ‘cut off’ by virtue of distance. This (Solar preparatory) training programme is exclusively for residents of the hinterland communities, all of which will be benefiting from Solar Power Home Systems, with these coming under the Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

This LCDS project is being executed by the Project Management Unit within the Office of the President, acting as Coordinator, with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) responsible for procurement and monitoring activities, and with additional support from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.

So it is not a ‘slap-dash’ operation. It seems well thought out, and in synchrony with the overall plan to make Guyana the ‘tropical paradise’ it was meant to be.

One may not be able to relate with the technological aspects of the more than 11,000 Solar Home Systems being procured for Amerindian communities, but too many times, the goal is lost, when logistics take precedence.

I am so thrilled that under the Hinterland Electrification Programme (HEP), it (the installation) seems set for a November beginning. Also, it is quite refreshing to know that the training of members of these communities is very much timely and thorough.
A person who truly deserves gratitude is Mr. Horace Williams of the Hinterland Electricity Programme (HEP) at OPM.

He has arranged for training to be held simultaneously in Lethem, Shulinab, Aishalton, Karasabai and Annai. The resource personnel have been drawn from Government agencies, including the Hinterland Electrification Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, the Guyana Energy Agency, the Guyana Power and Light, the Ministry of Public Works and the Electrical Inspectorate.

This surely inspires confidence. This is because the current Rupununi leg of the training programme follows the one that was held for residents of Amerindian communities in Regions Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), just one week ago.

The ultimate objective is really to ensure that the trainees manifest competence in the installation and maintenance of the Solar Home Systems.

Over all, there are 188 communities targeted under the HEP, and the sessions will be closed just before the end of November. By this time, the panels would have arrived in Guyana. This means that all the necessary arrangements will be in place for actual installation without any kind of delay.

As a closing note, and to buttress the fact that by all appearances this is no ‘hurry and get over’ plan, one remembers that the germ of this idea started in September of 2010. President Jagdeo made the announcement then, and now that dream is becoming a reality, even though a huge sacrifice had to be made. The funds for this LCDS project should have really come from a forest-saving deal with Norway but, to date, the money has not been released to the government.

But ‘funds or no funds’ (from Norway) President Jagdeo was committed, and thus Guyana’s development is not contingent upon the forest agreement with Norway.