THE training scheme for hinterland residents who will be
getting solar power, under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS),
is ending this week.
The last three, of one week duration, are, currently, underway at Moruca,
Mabaruma and Kaituma, all in Region One (Barima/Waini) and, thereafter, each of the 188 communities to benefit, will have persons among them who will be capable of
installing and maintaining the units as soon as they arrive in the
country.
The LCDS is being executed by the Project Management Office,
Office of the President, acting as Coordinator, with Office of the
Prime Minister (OPM) responsible for procurement and monitoring
activities, with support from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
Chief Executive Officer of the Hinterland Electricity Unit (HEU) OPM, Mr. Horace Williams disclosed that the targeted 390 people from 188 communities will have been trained by the end of this week. The exercise started two months ago.            
One programme was done in Georgetown with the selected hinterland
residents being accommodated and fed for the duration while the others
were done on site at villages in the hinterland.
The approximately 11,000 solar home systems being procured
for the Amerindians are expected to begin arriving within a
matter of weeks.
Williams said the aim of the training of village representatives, prior to the arrival of the mechanisms, is to ensure that there is no undue delay with the installation.
President Bharrat Jagdeo first announced the solar panel project for
electrification of hinterland communities at the launch of Amerindian
Heritage Month celebrations last year September.
He noted, then, that the majority of hinterland households, which
include 80 per cent of the Amerindian population, were without access
to basic electricity.
The Head of State said the LCDS is intended to rectify this
long pervading unfairness by providing access to clean and renewable
energy in 10,500 Amerindian households for about 188 Amerindian
communities that ware without.
The funds for this LCDS project should have come from a forest saving
deal with Norway but this money has not yet been released to the Guyana Government.
Consequently, President Jagdeo said, recently, that Government would not
wait any longer for the money from Norway but would go ahead with
the programme, using money from the National Treasury.
Tenders were publicly invited, by OPM on April 8, for the supply of solar home systems to be submitted by May 31 and a contract has been awarded.
Beneficiaries in each village will pay a monthly contribution to a
fund managed by the Village Council for maintenance services.