UG launches Diaspora Engagement Centre
UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith
UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith

THE University of Guyana (UG) on Friday launched the Diaspora Engagement Centre aimed at integrating regional and overseas institutions while promoting increased opportunities for locals.
The centre was created just prior to the conclusion of the Diaspora Engagement Conference organised by the university. That conference, which lasted one week, attracted 243 participants from more than 12 countries.

At a media briefing Friday morning, UG Vice-Chancellor (VC), Professor Ivelaw Griffith said there is need for institutionalisation of ideas and agreement birthed out of the conference.
He said as a result, it was agreed that the centre would be formed, although it is yet to have headquarters.
“We did not want to wait until everything was settled to get going. One of my commitments is that what we discussed this week should not stay there only. And so we needed a mechanism to institutionalise, going forward. The centre will be that mechanism.”
The centre is expected to host the meeting of the Diaspora Conference once every two years. And according to Professor Griffith, one of its objectives would be to find a way to establish and manage a talent database.

He said the database will contain information about who in the diaspora has what interest or skill, who wants to contribute and will provide facilitation of those contributions.
“We plan not only to say we’re interested in diaspora, we plan to demonstrate by having a work programme that takes this conference into the future, going from strength to strength,” he added.
The VC explained that a team is in the process of working to develop an implementation project plan for the centre. He did not say when this plan was likely to be presented, nor how much the overall project is likely to cost.

Rather, he offered that UG has some preliminary figures and the institution will be looking to have a number of partners involved, including the Caribbean Development Bank.
He pointed out too, that efforts to advance the work of the centre will be intensified, due to the level of interest and energy shown at the conference, and due to the fact that the centre will have an impact on regional institutions – both academic and non-academic institutions.
The centre will seek to integrate and foster mutually beneficial relationships with government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector, and other agencies across the Region.

With regard to headquarters, Professor Griffith said the organising team is working to identify an appropriate place to have it housed.
He explained that UG has “significant space challenges” and as such, efforts are being made to rent a location off campus. He added too that funding for the rental will be drawn from a funding source or several sources. However, he chose not to name any of the potential funding sources.

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