By Mervyn Williams

GUYANA, a simple yet complex State, is reliant on inclusive and sustainable measures for the designing of infrastructural works all across the society. Linking hinterland and coastland is crucial in all of this. Government aims to ensure that all the people of this beautiful country are able to enjoy an equal share of the national pie. We are well on the path to achieving this objective, having laid the foundation over the last four years or so.

Careful development of plans for: road infrastructure, drainage and irrigation, building schools, health centres, other similar structures, ground and foundation works, communications networks (including ICT) or any other infrastructural development, will always be critical to the attainment of such an ambitious objective. These are not just the building blocks for the establishment/development of sustainable villages, towns and cities. They are the building blocks of our society as a whole; rather they are blocks for the reconstruction of a society which was destroyed over a period of two decades. Such plans are people-centered as indeed they should be.

Farmers must have access to market whether by quality all weather roads or a well-functioning ocean going vessel which can dock at a safe and modern wharf facility. An entrepreneur interested in launching an agro-processing business must have access to affordable and reliable electricity supply. For ICT to serve our freshly-trained minds returning to develop the hinterland there must be the energy to drive their operations. These plans target clean energy from renewable sources. Guyana’s hinterland regions have for too long been overlooked and critically underdeveloped, economically and socially. These plans are designed to meet headlong and overcome the many and varied challenges which run deep.

Quality of life

The objective observer, particularly the direct beneficiary of hinterland infrastructure development in Guyana will see a fundamental shift in Government’s approach to treating with hinterland development and by extension, in addressing the improvement of the quality of life of indigenous peoples post May 2015. We are witness to a plethora of development initiatives aimed at connecting villages with markets, better ICT infrastructure and deeper understanding of the issues faced by our hinterland communities.

So much has been the progress in only four years that we are seeing new agricultural businesses, business models and partnerships emerging. Innovation and scalability in the hinterland agricultural sector have been underpinned by recent investment into infrastructure. This is enabling new products as well as access to new, high growth international markets. The APNU+AFC government of Guyana assumed office in May 2015 with a clear economic plan. This plan establishes the right environment for the creation of jobs and ensures the sustainability of these jobs. This material fact has fundamentally changed the playing field for hinterland communities in Guyana.

I am close to a number of initiatives which have yielded many positives in hinterland economic development. I am also involved in attempts to foster Village/Private sector cooperation which hold potential for even further development. The Macushi women of the North Rupununi have successfully developed the “Rupununi Essence” brand. It is a brand developed in a joint effort involving the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MoIPA). These industrious women now produce and market a personal care product from organic forest produce. They are well on their way to major success in this new business venture.

The farmers of Paramakatoi also in collaboration with the same two partners have established the “Sun Dried Tomato” brand. They now produce and market tomato salad dressing from organically grown tomatoes in the mountain.

The pineapple farmers of Whyaka Mainstay have embarked on a mission to explore the possibilities of re-entering large scale organic pineapple cultivation for export in collaboration with a private company. This very company has extended its hand to farmers in Region One to partner in the cultivation of organic ginger and turmeric.

These ventures are products of the hard work of a visionary government and has yielded real opportunities for self-employment, the establishment of businesses and the creation of real jobs. The beneficiaries have stories to tell. For those in the making there is high expectation from those who will benefit.

Meanwhile, the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) has provided training for some four thousand (4.000) young hinterland residents. Two thousand of these young people have moved on to establish their own small businesses. This translates into two thousand self-employed persons or five hundred direct jobs per year over four years. These businesses also employ additional persons as necessary. This HEYS programme is the brainchild of President David Granger and is but one of ten points which he has presented for the development of Guyana’s hinterland.

These initiatives are only being made possible with the roll out of an infrastructure programme across the hinterland. The scale of what is required is enormous, but after nearly three decades, we are seeing the changes we have always hoped for, the direction that is needed to economically empower hinterland communities and the radical improvement of basic services like education and healthcare.

Housing in the hinterland

The plan is that no community is left unattended to by the coalition government. Four short years can never be enough to accomplish all the goals set out. However, the government has invested $43B in expanding and rehabilitating our road network across the country; provided housing lots for 4,000 hardworking families; and expanded our telecommunication network, in particular, across the hinterland regions.

They say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. There is evidence all over to satisfy us Guyanese people that four years of work produced by the APNU+AFC government is evident and tangible, that is has given us a new direction as a nation and that we are on the way to a better future.

The $488M refurbished MV Kimbia is providing a new lease of life to Region One farmers who now have potential to access international markets. This Government has maintained more than 350 km (217 miles) of major access roads and bridges to remote indigenous communities in the hinterland of Guyana, ensuring better access to markets and connecting people to other people and places.

Improving access for Amerindian and mining communities in Region One, with the construction of a $13.5M timber bridge at Papaya linking helping residents of Baramita, Matthews Ridge, Arakaka, Port Kaituma and Fives Star. A new reinforced concrete bridge at Barabina ($13.4M), and the construction of a road into this community brought significant relief to residents who for years had to travel their road by boat to get home. A newly-constructed concrete roadway now connects Mabaruma airstrip to the Kumaka water front now serves satisfied residents. Concrete roadway also now connects the Port Kaituma community with its airstrip and water front. A visit to Moruca would reveal a newly- constructed high span concrete bridge ($119 M) across the Moruca river and the road from Kumaka to Kwebanna under construction.

Mahdia and Region Eight received $1B in investment for its internal road network. This included major rehabilitation of the road from Mahdia to Historic Bridge – opening farmlands and allowing access to light vehicles for the first time in decades. At the same time 57 airstrips have been upgraded, with five of these being transformed into aviation hubs.

We have empowered people at the level of local government by creating new urban municipalities to give regions and local government a greater say over development. This is really about giving people more say over the development of their local area. At the moment there are 10 municipalities. These are: Anna Regina, Bartica, Corriverton, Georgetown, Lethem, Linden, Mabaruma, Mahdia, New Amsterdam and Rose Hall. Since these have all now been raised to the status of regional capital towns, they are now able to promote business, drive economic development and give leadership to their respective regions. They are now also geared to deliver all of the basic public goods and services available on the coast.

Business and entrepreneurship

With the coalition government of the APNU+AFC in office there has been the establishment of many business registration hubs, a sign of the Government’s commitment to creating jobs. These are located in Regions One, Five, Six, Eight, Nine and Ten, where they serve to make life easier for residents to start companies. While these hubs help to stimulate local economies, they have been creating much needed jobs for young people, women and men.
The launch of the Lethem (Region Nine) and Belvedere (Region Six) Industrial Development Projects will assist companies’ growth, by providing business space, training as well as advisory services in marketing, legal and finance.

We continue to grow our energy network to ensure that all people have access to electricity by 2025. As part of a US$17.8M grant from Japan, 7,000 LED street lamps are being installed along major roads and highways and a further 2,000 in communities across Guyana. Sixty-five Solar Powered LED Street Lights were installed and these included in Agatash and Bartica, among others. Additionally, the Power Utility Programme has already benefitted Port Kaituma, Moco Moco, Lethem and St. Ignatius with installation, extension and upgrade of the power distribution networks in these communities. Additionally, the 3.5MW Dagg Point Agatash Station ($800M) will soon open to supply Bartica with 24/7 and reliable power. It will replace the old, unreliable and polluting power station currently situated in the middle of the town.

Mabaruma will also experience electricity from the installation of hybrid 400 KW solar farm and diesel generator to help supply the region’s capital with electricity. The solar power station is estimated to provide power for three-quarters of the community and the remaining quarter will be powered by fossil fuel or diesel. At the same time Anna Regina would benefit from a 5MW new $1.81B fuel oil power plant to ensure residents in Essequibo receive continuous electricity.

Solar-powered

Hosororo in Region One is also about to receive electricity from a new hydropower plant that is being built there to provide electricity to the people of Mabaruma. The US$165,000 ($34.4M) project received US$91,000 ($18.9M) in financing from the Government of Guyana and US$74,067 in financing from GiZ, the German international development agency.

The community of Moruca, Region One is not to be left out, even as they are being provided with a new 250 kVA generation system to ensure that they have access to power even during power shortages. The National Data Management Authority (NDMA) set up 98 ICT Hubs in communities and villages in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine and Ten. The hubs are all equipped with computers donated by Government, and they provide nearly 200,000 citizens with access to the Internet. In 2017, 10 new hubs were commissioned in Berbice and 9 in Linden.

The US$3.1M ($647M) Hinterland Housing Programme is helping 12 communities in Regions One and Nine improve their living conditions with housing subsidies. In 2016, $40M was disbursed in 42 subsidies for 5 communities. More than 100 more hinterland households benefit from subsidised housing, while at the same time the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) offered a cut to the cost of house lots by 25%.

Mabaruma also benefited from the construction of a green park with landscaped gardens, paths and solar lighting at a cost of $16M. Bartica was also given the first boardwalk in Guyana. The $40M project saw the construction of 5 multi-purpose shops, solar lighting system, guard rails, seating, and a picnic area.

Lethem saw the construction of $21M Declaration Park. The facility has a solar light system, seating accommodation (benches and gazebos), and landscaped gardens. Simultaneously, sport grounds were handed over to communities such as Aranaputa Valley, Region Nine and MATARKAI Sub Region, Region One, among many others.

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

Under the APNU+AFC Government, Guyana is finally moving in the right direction. In four short years, we have dramatically improved our infrastructure and this is creating opportunities for people. Although progress has been made, real change is neither quick to come nor easy to establish. There is still a lot more to do. President Granger and his Coalition team know the importance of expanding and upgrading our infrastructure, because they know that world class jobs will only come with world class infrastructure.

Without roads and bridges, reliable water and electricity supply, we are unable to create the conditions to grow businesses and create jobs. As part of President Granger’s vision for the country, we are looking to create the economy of the future. That’s why we are building our digital network to ensure we can create well-paid and highly skilled employment in the service sector.

It is about creating a good quality of life with affordable and secure housing so you can raise and protect your family. We have moved on a long way from the dark days of the PPP, who forgot our hinterlands, abandoned our indigenous people, and did nothing to bring long term and sustainable development to hinterland communities. For 23 years these communities were neglected and our infrastructure crumbled.

President Granger’s Coalition team knows that skilled and well-paid jobs – especially for our young people – will come from better infrastructure. We are already reaping the benefits with growing production centres in the hinterland regions, value-added processing and new product lines. Better infrastructure will strengthen tourism, provide better connectivity, keep families together and ensure that people have access to better opportunities. We have made a start, but there is so much more that needs to be done. I invite all of Guyana to join with the APNU+AFC as we continue this developmental journey over the next five years.