THE return of democracy some 29 years ago has, in significant ways, resulted in the ushering in of a new era, one characterised by making the country better and brighter. One of the first things the new PPP/C administration did after it was returned to power on October 5, 1992 was to rebuild the country and its collapsing infrastructure.

The rehabilitation of the Guyana Power and Light Company and the electrification of the country was one such priority area, especially with respect to the hinterland communities, which for decades had to endure a period of darkness due to  neglect by the previous PNC administration.

Electricity was not only a problem in the hinterland regions but the country as a whole. The supply of electricity was perhaps the most serious irritant faced by the Guyanese people. Power outages were so frequent that those who could have afforded had no choice but to resort to private generating plants. It was estimated that the combined electrical generation capacity of the private sector was nearly the same as that of the public sector.

In keeping with the objective of bringing electricity to hinterland communities, a US$7.2 million line of credit was signed between the Government of Guyana and the Indian Government to provide solar lights to hinterland communities. Some 30,000 hinterland households will benefit from this initiative.

The signing was done during the 57th anniversary of the Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation (ITEC) Day held by the Indian High Commission. Signing the Line of Credit on behalf of Guyana was Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh and Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr. K J Srinivasa.

This Line of Credit Agreement forms part of a much broader co-operation agreement between the two countries in a variety of areas including technical training and capacity building of which Guyana has been a major beneficiary over the years. Over 600 Guyanese, including Guyana’s President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, have benefitted from such training which has impacted positively in terms of our overall human resource development. According to Minister Singh, the ITEC has provided remarkable opportunities for Guyanese professionals to obtain world-class international training exposure and experience.

The installation of electricity panels in the homes of hinterland will certainly bring joy to these communities which for too long were denied such amenities. For one thing, it will allow for a much better quality of life for citizens as a whole but for children in particular who could now benefit from brighter lights to facilitate studies at nights. The entire profile of hinterland communities will be changed from an area of darkness to one of light.

Power is an important prerequisite for development and the more power generated; the better for the country. With the installation of cheap and reliable power, the country can become much more competitive on the world market due to lower energy charges which is an important factor in the overall cost structure. With the country now experiencing a tidal wave of transformative changes, the need for a more efficient, reliable and cheap power is all the more important. With the completion of the Amaila Falls hydro-electric plant and the mix of other energy forms into the national power grid, that objective will soon become a reality.

In all of this, our hinterland communities are not being left behind. The installation of solar panels in the homes of our Amerindian and hinterland communities is indeed a welcome development for which the PPP/C administration must be highly commended. Already, a number of hinterland communities benefitted from solar electricity under the previous PPP/C administration but many of these were allowed to become dysfunctional because of incompetence and mismanagement of the Hinterland Electrification Programme by the previous APNU+AFC administration.

The Hinterland Electrification Programme was launched by the PPP/C administration in 2011 and was aimed at expanding access to clean and affordable energy throughout hinterland and deep riverine communities. It is a shame that the programme was allowed to deteriorate due to mismanagement and incompetence by the previous administration.