—President Ali tells Guyanese in the diaspora; urges them to examine, leverage opportunities presented as Guyana’s transformation continues

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali has issued a passionate call to Guyanese abroad to seize the opportunities emerging from Guyana’s rapid growth, urging them to be active participants in the country’s unfolding transformation.

In his address at a diaspora engagement on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, the President emphasised that Guyana is no longer defined by what it once lacked, but by the possibilities it now offers.
This is the President’s first diaspora engagement since being re-elected to serve a second term in office following the September 1 polls.
He said: “We don’t view Guyana as just a country. See it as a nation, and every member of the diaspora is entitled to be part of our present and our future.”
He added: “You don’t have to take my word for it. You can see it for yourselves, through the news, through social media, through the voices and stories of your family and friends back home, and by coming and seeing for yourselves, the transformation is unfolding before your very eyes.”
Guyana is undergoing significant transformation marked by major infrastructure projects, rapid growth in oil production, and progressive health and education policies.
The President had said that within the first six weeks of being in office, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government would  lay the groundwork  for several massive projects aimed at propelling the country’s economic future.
These include, construction of a new Berbice River Bridge, development of a bridge across the Corentyne River linking with Suriname, establishment of a second gas-to-energy plant in Region Six, creation of an economic zone in Berbice, expansion of the Demerara Harbour and construction of a deep-water harbour, the accelerating of a national digital backbone under the digital Guyana project and plans for fertiliser and natural gas plants to establish Guyana as an industrial powerhouse.
Meanwhile, ExxonMobil announced earlier this week a final investment decision for the US$6.8 billion Hammerhead project, scheduled to start in 2029. Hammerhead will add 150,000 barrels per day, raising Guyana’s total oil production capacity to 1.5 million barrels per day by then.
“This is development happening in real time, unfolding at a rapid pace, and it is visible, it is tangible, and it is undeniable. For those who left a long time ago, the Guyana of today is not the Guyana of yesterday. We are no longer the land that people run from. We’re now the land that people are running towards,” the President said.
He highlighted too the government’s focus on improving health services nationwide, including renovated facilities with additional rooms and Wi-Fi, improved availability of medication, enhanced ambulance services, and expansion of diagnostic services like CT scans and ultrasounds.
There is a strong push for decentralising healthcare with training for 10,000 healthcare workers, investment in telemedicine, digital patient records, and advanced emergency response systems.
To this end, six new regional hospitals were commissioned recently, with plans already underway to build more state-of-the-art facilities.
“We are the fastest growing economy in the world. We’re a land of opportunities. When people return home, they’re awestruck by the rapid, visible, transformative development they see. Now I will not stand here and tell you that everything is perfect, no, but I’ll tell you this, things are on an upward trajectory. Life is getting better, and our plan is to make it better by creating more opportunities for our people.”
The education sector too has seen massive transformation with the building of new schools and policies being implemented to support universal education countrywide.
Meanwhile, at the tertiary level, Guyanese across the country now have access to diverse undergraduate, master’s, and vocational programmes, through the Guyana Online Academy of Learning programme.
The government also fulfilled its promise, making education at the University of Guyana free.
“Come home, come and see for yourselves. Witness the transformation, ask yourself how you too can be a part of this process of remaking Guyana into the land of opportunities,” the President appealed.