–President Ali tells Guyanese Diaspora in Canada

IN an impassioned speech to Guyanese living in Canada, President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Saturday pledged to confront any stumbling block that is preventing the country from achieving its full potential.
At a Guyana/Canada Diaspora event held at La Primavera Banquet Hall in Ontario, Canada, the Head of State, who is on a three-day visit there, reiterated his vision for ‘One Guyana’ as he talked up the country’s booming economy.

“Under the umbrella of ‘One Guyana’, we as a people, see, feel and experience prosperity together! It will, and must be achieved!
“There is no stumbling block; there is no barrier, there are no challenges that I am afraid to confront, remove or dismantle to ensure that we as a people unify ourselves under the umbrella of ‘One Guyana’ for the development of Guyana,” the Head of State said.

He added, “There is no other way in which we can realise the full potential of our country; there is no other way in which we can achieve the true potential of our country, if we see ourselves different from each other, or if we see barriers, whether real or artificial, as an impediment to development and advancement of the people of our country.”
In highlighting what he described as the three main crises facing the world: Climate change, food insecurity and energy insecurity, President Ali believes that Guyana will be part of the solution.

“And I say to you that we in Guyana, we will be part of a new global system, and we will establish our credentials, and we will be part of the solution and not the problem of the world,” he said, adding:
“Energy, climate and food; those are the three main crises occupying the minds of policymakers across the world. In the most humbling way, I say to you tonight, that there will be no conversation on these three crises without Guyana being mentioned as part of the solution.”

CREATING OUR OWN PATH
The President said that Guyana is already creating its own path, in that the country is striving to enhance its local industries, especially those in the agriculture sector.
With the introduction of Amaya Milk, which is making waves because of its authenticity, the Head of State said that this is just the beginning, as his government is working to establish a state-of-the-art milk industry.

He further noted that with the steady training of the country’s human resources, and producing high-value crops, along with investing in top-notch technology and drainage and irrigation systems, Guyana is on track to achieving its goal of becoming food secure, and a major food producer.
Meanwhile, President Ali said that while he recognises the widespread migration of Guyanese healthcare professionals, his government is working vigorously on ensuring that not only does every Guyanese get a chance at becoming a nurse but also earn while learning.

With a goal of producing a result-oriented service industry and not one of human bias, the President also disclosed that Guyana will not be left behind in the modernised society.
In fact, he stated that very soon, coding will be introduced in every school, nationwide, since Guyana must start to embrace robotics. In emphasising that a country cannot develop without its human resources, the Head of State said the government is constantly striving to enhance the education sector, and soon Spanish will be a compulsory subject in schools, because being able to speak multiple languages is an advantage.

In the public works sector, the President boasted of the state-of-the-art infrastructural projects ongoing in Guyana, including the four-lane Wismar-Mackenzie Bridge.
Also, with the construction of a Tourism and Hospitality Training Institute, President Ali said that this will not only boost the tourism sector, but also provide employment opportunities for thousands of Guyanese.

Additionally, with an impeccable Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the President revealed that Guyana’s GDP per capita has increased by 67 per cent, and the nation is securing loans with fixed rates, and not variable ones.
He also said that while there are some globally extreme views on what is the solution to achieving net-zero emissions, the Government of Guyana has proposed a number of measures to accomplish this, such as reducing fossil fuel production, and introducing new technologies.
In the oil-and-gas sector, owing to technology, the new Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units are 25 per cent less carbon-intensive, when compared to the previous vessels.