COMMUNITIES in the South Rupununi have taken control of their development by forming a company to do projects in their own neighbourhoods.
Chief Executive Officer of South Rupununi Development Inc., Nicholas Fredericks spoke with the Department of Information (DPI) on the sidelines of the recently concluded National Toshaos Conference.
He said, “We notice that contracts were being done in our communities by persons who might not be so familiar with the community itself in terms of resources. So, we are thinking, how can we actually control some of these contracts, provide jobs for our people, and have income coming into our communities.”
He noted that the formulation of the company also received support from the President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and other government representatives.
The company, he said, will be responsible for rolling out projects in the South Rupununi, including construction and roads.
He said it is still a work in progress, and that the benefits will go to all 21 communities in that district, equally.
“I think it could also be a model for other areas. We are talking about Region 7, Region 8, Region One; how they can organise themselves to form themselves into such a construction company where they can have some income coming in, build their capacity in terms of construction, and also have jobs provided for our indigenous brothers and sisters back home,” Fredericks said.
The company has received some equipment from the government, like a backhoe, a dump truck and a grader.
“A few days ago, right here at this conference, we managed to get a first contract to do some remedial work on the road. So, it is something new. As I said, it’s still a work in progress, but I know with the commitment of our government and Toshaos in the South Rupununi, we will make this company work. We would want to encourage other areas as well to go into this sort of model,” he said.
The company is managed by a core executive from some villages.
“We will also have to acquire staff, which we haven’t done as yet, but this conference was a big stepping stone for us. Now it’s time for us to go back, put a little bit more structure in place for the company, and start rolling out projects,” Fredericks stated. [DPI]