President of the Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG), Peter Persaud says that the indigenous communities will face tremendous shortfalls with the Sithe Global pullout from the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP).
The project became threatened after the major investor Sithe Global withdrew their participation following a lack of national consensus. This came into play after the

main opposition party, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) rejected the agreement in the National Assembly.
Persaud stated that the position of the main parliamentary opposition would be pushing the chance for development in indigenous communities backward. He noted that had the project been agreed upon by all three parties, nearly eleven Amerindian communities would have benefited from assistance in transportation in the interior, educational and health aids, and the chance to expand infrastructure and other development programmes.
He added that the people in those far-fetched areas would have been given employment opportunities and the chance for skilled training. He said further that the indigenous communities were open to having consultations with the project investors in order to ‘better’ their villages and lives. He also stated that the project would have indirectly boosted ecotourism in most villages.
Meanwhile, President of the National Amerindian Development Foundation (NADF), Ashton Simon, also voiced his concerns on the impact of the project being axed. Simon stated that there would be a ‘potential loss of LCDS [Low Carbon Development Strategy] payment for forest preservation’ and also a risk for potential markets for agriculture in these communities.