–President Ali says during engagement with Strathspey residents
–points to results of community outreaches that will help to craft more direct strategies for development

WOMEN and young people will be taking the lead in creating at least 50 hives to produce high-quality honey, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali said during an engagement with residents of Strathspey, on Saturday.
Persons will be trained and given safety equipment, the President said. On the agriculture side, there will be further collaboration.

To be specific, a citizen while speaking with the President, was urged to engage the Ministry of Agriculture to execute their idea of having the Bladen Hall Secondary School supply vegetables to the community.
Also, today, the President is set to commission the first of a number of water-treatment plants that are being constructed. He said it is going to take treated water to more than 90 per cent of persons along the coastline, and the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is now working on new technologies to ensure that those smaller communities would also benefit.

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues; Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony and Public Works Minister Juan Edghill were also present at the engagement.

Stressing the importance of appreciating development, the President told the residents: “The policies that the government is pursuing is empowering us. It is creating greater wealth. It is creating prosperity. It is giving us a better chance of life. That is important.

“If we cannot build a society that does not have a value system, we cannot build a society that does not have a system that allows our people to appreciate what they have.”

OPPORTUNITIES
Building communities, infrastructure, prosperity and improving the lives of Guyanese across the country are just a few objectives of the government, the President highlighted, while speaking to the residents.
“One of the things that is important to us is to get feedback. To get feedback on investments we’re making because this year, 2025, we’re going to focus heavily on community investments. Ensuring that the investments are focused on people-centred issues in a greater way,” President Ali said.

Giving a brief summary of his numerous community engagements, the President said that residents from each region acknowledge and praise the development that is taking place.

Citizens are commending the government for better accessibility to treated water, enhanced health care and, roads, improved education and overall, the better standard of living. However, there are still a few community issues that need to be addressed, Dr Ali said.

He told residents: “And this is how development is. As we address challenges, as your lives improve, there are other things that start to bother you… So you will want to ensure that you have good, reliable services. You want to ensure the sanitation issues, the garbage issue, are addressed, community security and lighting are addressed.”

With that said, that was the premise of the President’s latest community engagement — to listen and engage — in the concluding week of budget 2025. The focus now, according to the Head of State, is how the government can invest more in the communities and bring about more responsibility in those areas.

The President said: “We’re building a development path that also brings dignity and pride to people.”

An observation that he made during his travels to different communities, is that there is competition among them in terms of physical beauty and this, he said, complements the rapid development Guyana is undergoing.
Another important element when it comes to development is how productivity can be enhanced. Dr Ali said, the creation of business and entrepreneurship opportunities is also looked at.

“Business and entrepreneurship opportunities is [sic] not only about building a shop or having a store. It is about the productive aspect,” he said.

With that said, Dr Ali said that the government is aiming to build resilience in communities. Supporting any potential opportunities through the Ministry of Agriculture is also a major focal area.

GROWTH
Meanwhile, according to the Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, upon entering the community, residents showered the government officials with praise for the transformative projects that were carried out in their area.
However, the minister noted that these projects which are aimed at improving lives, are a result of the President’s policy direction, in terms of developing the livelihoods of the people.

“Let the progress continue,” the minister said, while emphasising that: “Guyana develops, Guyana progresses, Guyana moves when the PPP/C is in office.” Also, Minister Rodrigues echoed similar sentiments.
She further stated that the President is not a person who makes empty promises and Guyanese across the country can attest to feeling the effects of the progress being made.

The minister went on to say: “I can safely say that with all the programmes that we have in all of the different sectors, so whether it’s young people, whether it’s our pensioners, whether it’s women, whether it’s our farmers, whether it was somebody who was looking for a job, whether people who have a scholarship.

“Every household in this country, I am certain is being impacted one way or another directly from programmes and policies under this government.” She then underscored the strides that have been made in the housing sector, even in Strathspey and nearby communities.

HAPPY FOR DEVELOPMENT
Residents, on the sidelines, while engaging the media praised the government for its investments. One man lauded the employment opportunities and even endorsed the President for a second term.

“I’m happy for the development,” were the sentiments expressed by another resident who commended the government for its efforts. Another resident said: “In my life, the best President I have seen is President Irfaan Ali. The amount of things I’ve seen him do right across the country, it is lovely.”

He said that every community he has visited he has witnessed the development for himself. Another person lauded the scholarship opportunities and pointed out that he, himself is a beneficiary of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL).