LOCAL Government and Regional Development Minister, Ganga Persaud has reported that the Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED), funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), has been of immense benefit to Guyana.

In an interview with Minister Persaud at his Kingston, Georgetown office recently, the minister pointed out that the CARILED project would have had a major setback, but that was no fault of the Government of Guyana since the Canadian Government, through CIDA, would have had issues with appointing directors and, as such, the project was delayed.

“We are grateful for this project, and we have benefited immensely from the Government’s partnership with local government entities in Canada,” Minister Persaud said.

Guyana is looking forward to continued cooperation with the Canadian Government and CARILED, the minister posited, saying that CIDA should be able to recognise the positive benefits of this project from the Local Government Ministry and the Government of Guyana.

CARILED is being implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), in partnership with the Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities (CALGA), the Caribbean Forum of Local Government Ministers (CFLGM), and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF). 

Focused on local economic development projects, the programme will eventually work in 14 Caribbean countries, and aims to partner with 50 local government authorities to support the growth and development of 500 micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. (Savitri Laikram)