MINISTER of Public Works, Juan Edghill, has commended the roles of small contractors, whom he said are helping the government to accelerate a number of projects across the country.
During an interview with this newspaper, the minister said this allows for the building of capacity and training and serves as a “great” employment provider.

“I have been on a number of roads in different communities, especially the ones that are built with concrete, and it is wonderful to see how much it means to the people knowing that most of the contractors are from the same community,” Minister Edghill highlighted.

He explained that the government wants more citizens to be actively involved in the development of their communities.

“This initiative is a game changer in several different ways, and it will be a continuous process because it will only stop when we bring development to every corner and every quarter of Guyana. We have the community contract for road works in Region Eight, and we have given that to the villages; we have contracts in Buxton and Linden, among others. The intent is to transform and modernise Guyana, and that will happen in every back street and every cross street of every village,” the Public Works Minister noted.

He noted that while there is focus on massive projects across the country, employment is being created within communities.

“So, while we as a government, are taking care of the big things, such as the highways, the bridges, and the massive undertakings of sea defences, we are also seeking to bring improvement and relief to the people of the communities across Guyana by creating employment for the people of those same communities through the development of community infrastructure.”
Minister Edghill also related that the government intends to fulfill the requests of the people from the Prime Minister’s recent outreach to Victoria Village, East Bank Essequibo.
There, residents wanted to be part of the development of the roads and bridges, and “we intend to honour them,” Edghill emphasised.

Patricia Moore, a small contractor from Tucville in Georgetown, said she received three contracts from the Public Works Ministry under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government.
“The Government of Guyana gave me a contract to clear up the drains at D’Urban between Cemetery Road and Louisa Row Georgetown,” Patricia told the Guyana Chronicle.
According to Patricia, she was tasked with desilting, weeding and trimming the trees.

“I take pride in what I do, and I always make sure that I double check to make sure that my workers do a tidy job…I am proud to say that I am a woman, and I was given my contract under President Ali’s administration.”

She added, “I love my job, and I am thankful that I can walk down the street and know the people that I employed play a role in making it look clean and tidy. When I execute my job, I ensure that it is done in the best way, I am also thankful that we are able to earn through these small contracts; it means a lot to us,” Patricia said.

Meanwhile, another small contractor from Buxton, East Coast Demerara, told this newspaper that he was given a contract to repair a bridge in his community.

“I am a born Buxtonian who was raised in my village and still live here to date. After Minister Edghill engaged us in a meeting and a workshop that he held in the village, we asked him to look into the roads and the bridges in the community, which he did.

“I was given a contract to repair Lot 5 of the Pan Dam Bridge, and I employed people from Buxton as a form of giving back to the community, as the Minister said. I am happy to say that the guys who were employed indicated to me personally how elated they were for this opportunity. They were happy to earn money and provide for their families. Going forward, they are willing to work on projects that we are hoping to be awarded,” Keon (only name given) told the Guyana Chronicle.

He said the project was a tremendous help to him.

“As for me personally, this project benefitted me tremendously because I got to understand how the bidding for contracts was done, and I was grateful for that. I was trying to complete my home before being given this contract, but it was a challenge; however, after the contract, it put money in my pocket, and I was able to finish my home.”

He expressed his thanks to the government.

“I am thankful for President [Irfaan] Ali for visiting the Buxton community and leading by example with all the outreaches that he has been having across Guyana. We are also thankful to his government, which is working for the people of Guyana. We would also like to say a special thank you to Minister Edghill for doing the exceptional job that he is doing for not only the community of Buxton but for all the other communities throughout Guyana.”

The small contractor recommended that grants should be given be given to other small business owners who only need a “financial start up” to get their business going.