GUYANA is set to benefit from £53.2 million in grant resources from the United Kingdom under its newly established United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF). Finance Minister Winston Jordan, along with Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson and Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, last week met with British High Commissioner Greg Quinn and representatives of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Department For International Development (DFID) to discuss Guyana’s proposed infrastructural projects that are to be funded by UKCIF.
UKCIF is an ambitious investment undertaken by the United Kingdom. It will provide grant-funding to improve or create new infrastructure such as roads, bridges and ports to help drive economic growth and development in nine countries across the Caribbean region.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced the launch of the £300 million fund during his trip to Jamaica in 2015.
As a result, the Government of Guyana has identified and submitted project proposals for six major infrastructural development programmes.
The identified interventions will see improved road networks, bridges, stellings and waterfronts, rehabilitation of airstrips, reliable access to potable water and reduced energy costs, as well as tackle the environmental and health risks associated with the improper disposal of waste.
The CDB has been designated by the UK Government to design, develop and implement the programme in collaboration with the Government of Guyana.
A team from the CDB is expected to visit Guyana shortly to discuss the start of project-preparation activities with the relevant sectoral agencies.