MINISTER of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, on Saturday told residents of Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni) that several new projects are in the works that will improve their daily lives while creating jobs for many people.

The projects residents will benefit from include the construction of a concrete road to the Bartica airstrip, internet access in remote areas, and the relocation of a central dumpsite in the region. The contract for the dumpsite project, she said, has already been awarded.

Minister Teixeira, according to a release from the Department of Public Information (DPI), posited that the developments will bring infrastructural enhancement, economic benefits and job creation to the region.

“There will be possibilities for jobs for Barticans as well, and not only Barticans, but other persons. So, keep your eyes out. These are big contracts, expensive contracts, and we want to make sure that the people of Bartica not only benefit when it’s finished, but also benefit in the meantime to be able to get jobs, to provide materials, to provide food, or whatever is required,” she said.

Minister Teixeira also urged the residents to be aggressive in their pursuit of employment and development for themselves and communities. She noted that the government was keen on providing opportunities to do so; it is for that reason she and Minister of the Public Service, Sonia Parag, were in the region launching the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) certificate programme.

This programme was launched on Saturday at the St John the Baptist Primary School. The certificate programmes place emphasis on more technical areas of study, and will help to qualify more persons within the region for employment.

These include Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Digital Marketing and E-Commerce, Joinery & Cabinet Making, Motorcycle Design, Garment Construction, Photography, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Event Planning, Healthcare, and Agricultural Technology, among a number of others.

“We will keep and continue to support the people of Region Seven– Bartica included of course– and particularly those who are most in need. And these categories include of course, women, children, the elderly, youth, disabled persons, and of course Indigenous people,” she said.

The DPI noted that budgetary allocations have also been made for agriculture, housing, water, education, and other priority sectors throughout Region Seven, especially those communities along the Upper, Middle and Lower Mazaruni.