VICE-PRESIDENT Dr Bharrat Jagdeo will, today, engage residents of Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) during a public day, as part of the government’s continued efforts to bring public services and decision-makers closer and directly to communities.
The engagement is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. at Watooka House in Linden and will see the Vice-President accompanied by several Cabinet ministers and senior government officials.
Residents will have the opportunity to raise concerns, seek updates on government programmes and discuss issues affecting their communities directly with members of the administration.
The outreach builds on similar exercises across the country, where thousands of Guyanese met one-on-one with the Vice President and government officials to seek assistance on matters ranging from housing and land issues to public assistance, National Insurance Scheme (NIS) concerns, drainage, street lighting and community infrastructure, among other things.
Many of the issues were resolved during the exercise, while others were referred to the relevant agencies for follow-up.
“We’ve done the campaign, and now we have to deliver on what we promised our people,” Dr Jagdeo had told reporters during a recent public day activity.
He said that the exercise was designed to give people direct access to ministers and technical staff in order to resolve long-standing problems.
Dr Jagdeo noted that the objective is to resolve as many issues as possible on-the-spot, and where that is not immediately possible, to put in place a clear follow-up process involving technical officers and subsequent meetings.
The Public Day initiative forms part of the government’s ongoing outreach across the country, providing citizens with direct access to government officials while facilitating the timely resolution of matters relating to public services and national development.
Residents from across Region Ten have been encouraged to attend and take advantage of the opportunity to interact directly with the Vice-President, Cabinet ministers and representatives of various government agencies.
Over the past six years, the PPP/C government has directed unprecedented resources into Linden and Region 10.
This surge in spending has touched nearly every sector of regional life, from roads and drainage to healthcare, education, energy and job creation, reflecting a deliberate strategy to ensure no region is left behind in the country’s development.
Infrastructure has been one of the most visible areas of transformation. The government had pointed to billions of dollars spent on roads in the region, with hundreds of small contractors from the area engaged in the roadwork, alongside the ongoing upgrade of the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
Drainage has also received significant attention, with more than $1.5 billion spent on drainage projects between 2020 and 2024 to address longstanding flooding problems in areas such as Wismar and Mackenzie. Work on the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge and carriageway enhancements is also progressing smoothly.
Bridges and road networks have likewise been targeted for upgrades, while the government commissioned the modern Bayrock National Stadium, which it says opens new recreational and economic opportunities for the region’s youth and residents.
Plans have also been outlined to modernise the Linden airstrip into a proper regional facility to support tourism and connectivity.
Utilities and social services have similarly seen substantial investment. A US$22.5 million contract was signed for construction of Guyana’s largest solar farm, a 15-megawatt facility in Linden, intended to deliver cleaner, more reliable energy and reduce dependence on imported fuel, alongside continued electricity and water subsidies.
Economic and employment gains have been another central feature of the government’s approach to Linden.
The Guyana Office for Investment has said tens of millions of dollars in investment have been earmarked for the mining town, including packages with a cement plant expanding home construction and a medical supply company planning oxygen bottling and packaging operations.