Region Three: The new hub for development opportunities
Head of the Region Three Private Sector Inc, Halim Khan
Head of the Region Three Private Sector Inc, Halim Khan

WITH plans in place to establish a gas-to-energy project, works on a US$300 million Vreed-en-Hoop Shore base facility, new private and public hospitals and the two four-lane highways in the works, Region Three is fast becoming a hub for investment opportunities in Guyana.
The massive development projects in the works are expected to vastly transform the quality of life in the region, along with the new Demerara Harbour Bridge, which is expected to make commuting easier.
“Region Three is the gateway to investment opportunities. There is [sic] a lot of opportunities in Region Three which all Guyanese can benefit from,” Head of the Region Three Private Sector Inc. (PSI), Halim Khan, told the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday.

Deputy President of the CIOG, Gulzar Namdar

Prior to becoming the PSI head in 2020, Khan was the President of the Region Three Chamber of Commerce.
“I had been the president for the past four years prior to 2020, and things in the region were kind of dormant because there wasn’t much opportunity in the region. But because of the many opportunities in the works now I had to move off from the Chamber of Commerce and form the Region Three private sector body; this organisation already has numerous members, including over 60 contractors.
“It was established so that if an investor comes into the region and they need something, we have all the major suppliers that we can connect them with,” Khan said.
He related that given the region’s proximity to Georgetown, and given the congestion developing in Region Four, as developers and the government alike look to new areas to decentralise, Region Three is where everyone is turning to.
“We know that Region Four, for a very long time, things have been centralised there, but because of that you find that it has been overcrowded now in Region Four. So, with the new bridge opening up access here, you will find that even a lot of industrial areas will be opening up,” Khan said.
Massive lands in the region are expected to become available for even greater development, especially with the Schoonord to Parika superhighway and the Schoonord to Crane highway that are expected to be built soon in the region.

Construction moving apace on the $1 billion state-of-the-art mall at Leonora, West Coast Demerara (Delano Williams photo)

President of the Meten-Meer -Zorg Islamic Complex, Gulzar Namdar, said those projects will not only attract outsiders, but also serve as an impetus for persons within the region.
“[The] West Coast of Demerara is growing tremendously. If a person comes back from overseas after a while, they might not even recognise the village they are from, because of the vast improvements and developments. Especially with the housing projects,” Namdar said.
He added: “The amount of housing areas that have been opened up here is tremendous, and it is because of that a lot of activities and businesses that have been opened up. Now people do not have to go to Georgetown to get anything. They can get everything right here on the West Demerara. And it is very safe,”
Namdar, who is also the administrator for the Meten-Meer-Zorg Academy, also believes that the development will help with the alleviation of depressed communities.
“[The] West Coast of Demerara has some villages like Zeelugt, and the Tuschen new housing scheme and Plastic City, where more is needed. But there are many options now that are going to be coming to them. And we hope that they will take the opportunities to better their lives of themselves and their families,” he said
Another local leader, Pandit Parmeshwar Haimraj, better known in the community as Pandit Sundar, said he too sees the development in the region as being about more than just big business, but sees it for what it will mean for the residents in the region.

The Sheriff General Hospital is one of several major investment projects in Region Three (Delano Williams photo)

“It means that life is becoming easier. As residents of this area we have to take advantage of the development and opportunities that are there. We also have to prepare our children because in the next five or 10 years we will be having so many things going on,” he said.
Haimraj added: “The development in Region Three is really decentralising [business services]. So many things can be done in Region Three that one does not have to go into the city to get done. Even persons come from Bartica and the other islands can get so much done right in Region Three.
“I moved to the West Coast 12 years back, and in terms of the infrastructure we’ve really advanced. If you look at the development of the public road… we see so many huge buildings and businesses. And seeing increased competition, which means that many of options are available and costs [will] come down,”

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