MINISTER within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, has outlined the government’s vision for communities along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway to evolve into hubs for commerce, services and tourism.

The minister was at the time engaging residents of the Swan community, during which he noted that the highway corridor holds tremendous potential to support local economic growth and attract investment.

“You see what is happening along the highway corridors. You recognise the investments coming along the highway, guest houses and hotels. You’re going to have a gas station, large-scale vulcanising and body workshop,” he said.

He noted that the location of the community offers a natural advantage and serves both the residents and thousands of travellers between Georgetown, Lethem and other parts of the country.

“Because this is where it is important, where thousands of people and traffic move through, coming all the way from Lethem and Mabura and everywhere else…Georgetown passing through on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, and it must be the place where it is any visitor’s first choice of a stopover,” he said.

To this end, the minister encouraged the community to capitalise on the opportunity by maintaining high standards at their newly commissioned market facility and also by pursuing other ventures that could attract visitors.

“Whether it is at your guest house, whether it is to fix their wheel, whether it’s a snack, a grab of some pastry, whether it is to relax for a few moments, Swan and other villages on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway should be among people’s first choices. First go-to choice,” McCoy added.

He went on to note that developments such as the Swan market, constructed through the use of funds from the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), reflect the government’s wider approach to community upliftment through sustainable economic projects.

“When you think about where we are going as a country, when you think about 2030 and beyond, this must just be, and can only be, the beginning of great things to happen here in Swan and in other parts of our country,” the minister said.