– notes diaspora must play a role in shaping nation’s future
PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has announced plans to take a range of government services directly to Guyanese living overseas, noting that the initiative forms part of a broader effort to strengthen ties with the diaspora while ensuring they play an active role in shaping the country’s future.
The President was at the time addressing members of the Guyanese diaspora in St Lucia on the sidelines of the 51st Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The Head of State said that the government intends to roll out mobile government service teams to countries with large Guyanese populations, making it easier for citizens abroad to access essential public services.
The President said the initiative will begin with St Lucia, where a biometric passport team is expected to arrive soon for a five-day exercise to facilitate passport applications and other related services.
He explained that the long-term objective is to deploy mobile government service units at least once annually to countries with sizeable Guyanese communities, allowing citizens to access services such as National Insurance Scheme (NIS) transactions, document replacements and other government services without having to travel to Guyana.
“This is a test case,” President Ali told those gathered.
As such, he noted that participants were being asked to submit their names, contact information and any outstanding issues requiring government attention so that ministers could begin addressing them immediately through a digital tracking system.
The initiative complements the government’s wider digital transformation agenda, which is aimed at improving government experience by making public services faster, more accessible and more efficient.
Against this backdrop, he pointed to the establishment of government service centres across Guyana, where services that previously required travel to Georgetown and lengthy waiting periods can now be completed within minutes.
Using the service centre at Suddie as an example, President Ali said residents can now access Guyana Revenue Authority services, renew licences, apply for passports and utilise the country’s digital identification system from a single location.
The President added that the digital ID platform is already creating new opportunities, noting that Barbados has begun recognising the system for travel between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Dr Ali said that Guyana’s rapid transformation has elevated its international profile, resulting in increased interest from investors and stakeholders worldwide.
“Everyone now knows the Guyana story,” he said, adding that requests for meetings from investors and international partners continue to grow because of the country’s expanding opportunities.
He also outlined government’s ambition to position Guyana as a world-class hub for healthcare, energy, environmental services and food security, highlighting significant investments made in each of those sectors.
In healthcare, President Ali pointed to the transformation of regional hospitals, particularly in Lethem, where he said the need for medical evacuations has fallen dramatically as a result of expanded services. Whereas nearly all serious cases previously required transfer to Georgetown, fewer than two per cent now require medical evacuation.
The President also highlighted major advances in education, including the restoration of free university education, the expansion of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarship programme to more than 42 participating institutions, the graduation of more than 30 PhD students in a single cohort under the initiative and the introduction of online teacher training programmes.
Speaking of possible future plans, Dr Ali told the gathering that the government also intends to extend educational opportunities to Guyanese overseas by making online degree programmes offered through the University of Guyana available to members of the diaspora free of cost, allowing them and their children to pursue qualifications in fields such as education and nursing.
Further to this, he said that his government continues to invest heavily in infrastructure, healthcare, education and digital services; equal emphasis is being placed on strengthening families and communities through recreational facilities, improved security, expanded community infrastructure, street lighting and the national Safe Country Programme.
President Ali urged members of the diaspora to remain engaged, share their ideas and continue contributing to Guyana’s development and indicated to them that they have an important role to play in shaping the nation’s future as it continues its rapid transformation.
