— key areas of focus, says President Ali
— urges Guyanese diaspora to return, explore economic opportunities

GUYANA is ripe for investment and Guyanese in the diaspora who are willing to return home or invest here will benefit from a conducive business environment and enhanced health, education and security systems.
This is according to President, Dr Irfaan Ali, in an interview with Farook Juman, on a radio programme on WPAT 930 AM Radio, Manhattan, New York, on Friday.
The diaspora plays a key role in supporting families in Guyana.
Between 2006 and 2015, there was great interest and movement in Guyana along with investments from the diaspora. Today, Dr. Ali said, the environment is riper for investment with the oil and gas sector on stream.

With the emerging oil and gas sector, the President said government is working to not only strengthen traditional sector, but to open new areas and new opportunities.
“We see great potential for the diaspora to bring their capital resources back here. As a matter of fact, we are now discussing financial instruments through which we can have all categories and levels of the diaspora involved and integrated in the development of our country,” the President said.
He explained that the diaspora is accustomed to a certain level of service, whether public or private, and in Guyana, these services, especially in the areas of health, security and education, will be strengthened to the level of international standards.

When these things are done, the President said the decision to return to Guyana becomes easier as these concerns were raised by the diaspora.
“We also have part-time investors who invest their resources to come and go, but on coming back on a permanent basis, issues of security, issues of healthcare, education, sports services, government services are critical areas of interest to the diaspora and these are the areas we are targeting, investing to improve and to make it better and to ensure we create an enabling environment,” President Ali said.

However, he noted that a bugbear has been too much focus being placed on the negatives without acknowledging the positives in Guyana. This setback, he noted, has created a negative perception of Guyana in the diaspora.
“The ‘what if’, oh, I would come there but what if this, or what if that. I think we need to have a positive outlook, the opportunities are there, you can’t understand the opportunities from a third hand or second hand perspective, you have to come here, do your research and look at the areas the country is moving towards, look at the opportunities and plan your own path,” the Head of State said, noting that government can only create the enabling environment.

INFRASTRUCTURE
According to the President, there will be three tiers of infrastructural development, starting from the community level which begins with improvement of the healthcare systems, road network, educational and sports facilities.
These, he said, will be addressed in current and upcoming budgets.
Further, the President said growth opportunities or hubs will be created within a cluster of communities that can generate employment.
The second tier, he noted, will focus on regional development and key investment opportunities in the various regions.
And on that note, he pointed to Region Three as an example.

“You will see the development of agro-processing facilities; you will see greater use of the Essequibo River in terms of investment hubs and this will, of course, create various growth polls, and to facilitate this, we are not talking only about the new Demerara Harbour Bridge that will have a four-lane road going from the harbour bridge to Parika, but also the Wales Development Authority and the landing of the gas to shore pipeline in Region Three, which will have a big industrial development taking place that will be linked to power generation, but we are looking at the possibility of a propane and LPG plant,” the President said.
These developments in Region Three, the President said, will create a population push to bring about urbanisation and regionalisation which will be supported by the housing programme that will create jobs and stimulate the banking sector.

Further, he said another alternative access road will be created from Timehri, East Bank Demerara linking Region Three, then going to Bartica. This is expected to significantly reduce the cost and time of travelling.
Additionally, Dr. Ali said there will also be a national energy plan aimed at reducing the cost of power by 50 per cent by 2025.
At tier three, the President said there will be transformational development in terms of infrastructure and these would include working with Suriname in bridging the Corentyne River. This will create an entire new logistics hub, which is linked to private sector development and the plan of a deep-water harbour.
In Region 10, the President said the bauxite industry and the mining sectors will have to be transformed into service sectors, where engineering, welding and other services will supplement the industry.

He also noted that call centres will boost employment in the region.
Meanwhile, in Region Five, he said that there will be a national aquaculture master plan, and pointed out that “in every region there will be creation of opportunities and you have to go after those opportunities.”
Government is also working to strengthen sugar to make it viable and sustainable.
From a conservative perspective, the President said that within the next five years, there should be five new hotels up and running.
“We are also supporting private healthcare and private education to make it globally competitive so that we can have foreign currency earnings from these services, creating a hub for health and educational services.”
Other developments in the pipeline include building a new city, a new highway from Ogle, East Coast Demerara to Diamond, EBD to Timehri airport, which reduces travel time while linking the new city.