PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali on Sunday announced that at least 15 businesses in the Kingston–Tiger Bay corridor have committed to hiring community “wardens” as part of a new security and neighbourhood-improvement initiative being rolled out under the One Guyana “Neighbourhood of Love” programme.
Speaking at a community meeting in Kingston, the President said participating businesses will each employ one person on their payroll to support neighbourhood safety, cleanliness and general upkeep.
The wardens, he explained, will form part of a small, dedicated group tasked with helping to maintain order and support residents as the government undertakes a wider urban renewal effort.
Ali said the initiative has already secured commitments from businessman Deo Mattai and others operating between Kingston and Tiger Bay.
“If we have 30 businesses, at least 15 have already signalled they are ready to take on one person each,” he told the gathering. “They will be part of community safety, community security and community cleanliness.”
The government, he added, will provide the infrastructure required to support the expanded safety network, including the purchase of patrol bikes and trucks to help monitor the area.
“We want people to feel safe,” Ali said. “Security is the foundation of the redevelopment we are building here.”
The wardens’ programme forms part of President Ali’s wider plan to transform Kingston and Tiger Bay into Georgetown’s first “model neighbourhood,” an initiative that includes refurbishing public buildings, supporting small businesses, and expanding recreational and commercial spaces.
The President said new facilities, such as craft shops, a small-business centre, restaurants and bars, are expected to generate jobs once rehabilitated spaces come online.
But he stressed that long-term economic benefits depend on improving public safety and eliminating the long-standing stigma attached to sections of the neighbourhood.
“We have to remove a big stigma from the area,” Ali said. “Once we build these centres and create safe, clean public spaces, the jobs and income will follow.”
Local entrepreneurs have already expressed interest in integrating into the redevelopment. According to the President, businessman Kumar has committed to relocating food-preparation operations to the area once sanitary facilities are upgraded, a move expected to employ several residents, particularly women.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT CENTRAL TO THE PLAN
President Ali emphasised that the redevelopment effort hinges on sustained community participation, residents, schools, businesses, skilled tradespeople and civic groups. Kingston Secondary School is among the institutions already enrolled in the programme.
The initiative is part of a broader government effort to rehabilitate urban and suburban neighbourhoods countrywide, with Tiger Bay serving as the pilot.
The Neighbourhood of Love programme is also linked to ongoing drainage upgrades, public-space beautification and the establishment of a planned “walking tourism lane” stretching from the seawall to the Botanical Gardens.
“This can only work if we do it together,” Ali told residents. “Imagine the jobs we can create if we scale this up. But the neighbourhood must take ownership of its safety and development.”
The President closed the event by hosting a community meal, symbolically launching what he described as a renewed spirit of unity and co-operation within the neighbourhood.