-Vice President announces
RELIEVING Guyanese of the troubles that were attached to them by the former A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration, Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, pointed out that his government has gone above and beyond to ensure that the economy stays afloat.

In Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Coast Demerara), the government is doing some 286 roads.
During his feature address on Friday at the opening ceremony of the West Central Mall, which was commissioned at Leonora, the Vice President elaborated on the tremendous road works across the country.

“This year, on community roads alone, in this region, we’re doing 286 roads… We’ve just gone out to tender for 300 roads in Berbice, 300 roads on [the] East Coast [of Demerara and] another 100 on the East Bank [of Demerara].”
Furthermore, in July, it was announced that major road-transformation works which cover a total of 12.2 kilometres and cost some $800 million were currently underway in several Region Three communities.

According to a Facebook post made by the Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, residents of La Parfaite Harmonie, Westminster, Onderneeming, and Recht-Door-Zee are witnessing the transformation of their neighbourhoods.
These projects are a fulfilment of promises made by President Dr. Irfaan Ali while engaging residents at a community outreach earlier in 2023. Investments have also been made through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) to build roads in the above-mentioned communities.

With massive private and public developmental projects ongoing across Region Three, the government is also looking to make the lives of residents easier.
One of these developmental projects is the construction of the Schoonord-Crane four-lane highway, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Owing to the rapid pace of development, this highway will precede the planned construction of a four-lane highway from Schoonord to Parika on the East Bank of Essequibo (EBE).
The construction of this particular road is merely a component of a broader plan to modernise the country’s infrastructure and create myriad alternative and more convenient linkages.

Other projects include the US$300 million Vreed-en-Hoop shore-base facility, which is expected to play a major role in transforming Region Three into a major player in Guyana’s oil-and-gas sector and a network of roads, all economically linked to the gas-to-energy project.

With $9.7 billion set aside in Budget 2023 to transform the Region Three landscape, residents can expect a significant improvement in public works, health, and education.
Notably, a whopping $259 million was allocated to public works in the region. The key projects the budget caters for are the construction of bridges at Leonora, Leguan, Uitvlugt, Wakenaam, Crane and Belle Vue.
Moreover, to improve access and living conditions for the residents of Region Three, the construction and rehabilitation of roads in several communities are ongoing.