A US$5M investment to develop a 20,000 square foot manufacturing facility intended to produce biaxial voided slab technology in Guyana is the first manufacturing international joint venture partnership and investment between Guyana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The partnership was facilitated by Guyanese merchant bank, Smart City Clearing Company Limited, between Guyanese-based engineering, procurement, and construction firm, Global Infrastructure Solutions Guyana Inc, and Undiome Global DWC LLC, an Emirati-owned company.

A voided biaxial slab is a type of reinforced concrete slab which incorporates air-filled voids to reduce the volume of concrete required. These voids enable cheaper construction and less environmental impact.

The investment will allow for the creation of Unidome’s state-of-the-art biaxial voided slab technology here in Guyana, to be used to help build and develop key infrastructure needed for the development of Guyana’s burgeoning oil-and-gas industry.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unidome Global DWC LLC, Kahlid Al-Qaqa, and the CEO of Global Infrastructure Guyana Inc, Troy Phillips, at Unidome Global’s MENA headquarters on Tuesday.

It was facilitated by Steven Jasmin and Major Gavin Singh, Managing Directors of the Guyana-focused Merchant Bank, Smart City Clearing Company Limited, and attended by representatives from both the Government of Guyana as well as The Emirati Government.

The Unidome technology helps to limit one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions in the construction industry, by decreasing the total amount of concrete needed in projects for which it is incorporated. It does this by creating slabs that are lighter, and allow for greater distance between a building’s structural columns.

REDUCES COSTS AND CARBON EMISSIONS
According to the company, one container of Unidome eliminates 30 truckloads of concrete, which helps to reduce construction costs by almost 30 per cent, and greatly reducing the amount of carbon emissions that each new project generates.

The technology is envisaged to become a critical building block for Guyana, as the country pursues an aggressive plan of building facilities to support its oil-and-gas sector, such as a deep-water harbour, as well as numerous shore bases and industrial zones throughout the world’s fastest growing oil-producing nations.

According to a press release distributed via Press Wire for the Guyanese Smart City Clearing Company Limited, Guyana Office for Foreign Investment CEO, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop stated, “With many shore bases coming on line, and over 2,000 hotel rooms in development, technologies like Unidome, and partnerships with local Guyanese companies like Global Infrastructure Solutions Guyana Inc. are critical to Guyana’s long-term success.”

HISTORIC EVENT
Global Infrastructure Solutions CEO Troy Phillips added, “Global Infrastructure Solutions is honoured to take part in this historic event, as we work together to bring best practices and unique technologies to Guyana.”

Steven Jasmin, Managing Director of Smart City Clearing Company Limited said, “Unidome’s cost effective and environmentally-friendly technology both will help reduce the cost of infrastructure development, while simultaneously helping to foster Guyana’s net zero emission goals.”

This is against the backdrop of the Government of Guyana’s commitment to the environment, and supporting investments centred around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In keeping with the company’s environmentally-friendly mandate to help lesson Unidome’s carbon footprint, the choice was made to establish operations in Guyana to service not only Guyana but the Caribbean region.

“Unidome is quickly growing its global footprint, and as it finalises the development of its fourth plant in Egypt, we saw the opportunity to establish a facility in the world’s fastest growing economy, Guyana, South America.” Unidome Global DWC’s CEO Khalid Al-Qaqa said at the signing ceremony.

The Government of Guyana and the United Arab Emirates seek to work together and evaluate numerous mutually beneficial investment opportunities that will enable the countries to share knowledge, experience, and resources and best practices.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali, during his address at EXPO 2020 Dubai, marketed Guyana as an investors’ paradise, and extended an invitation to investors to be part of the country’s explosive economic and social developmental transformation. (EIN PressWire)