SIX years ago, President Dr. Irfaan Ali asked Guyanese to trust a vision. On Sunday, sitting down with journalist Fareeza Haniff, he gave an account of it.
His verdict was plain: The 2020 and 2025 Manifestos have been fulfilled in full. The record supports him.
Consider the most visible proof. Last October, thousands gathered for the commissioning of the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge.
The President described the four-lane, 2.6-kilometre structure as more than a crossing, calling it a catalyst for national growth that gives thousands of commuters free, uninterrupted travel, and ends the bottlenecks of the old Demerara Harbour Bridge.
He predicted it would spur economic activity on both banks. and open the way for new factories, logistics centres, and corridors of development. Commuters who once spent hours waiting on a floating bridge now know the difference.
Yet the President’s most important message on Sunday was that concrete alone is not the destination. The next four years, he said, must bring citizens, families and communities closer together, while pursuing investments that last for generations: Guyana as a food hub, an energy hub, and a leader in biodiversity and climate services.
The Model Village Initiative shows what that philosophy looks like on the ground. The President drew on his own rural childhood, recalling that he first saw badminton and squash only after leaving his village for school in Georgetown.
That experience of unequal opportunity, sharpened by his work as a planner on the Secondary Towns Improvement Project, lies behind a simple aim: A model village should be what every village in Guyana can become.
This is no slogan. The initiative is targeting 23 communities across Regions Two to Six, with assessments done and remedial works already underway in some areas. It is a structured, budget-financed policy, not a one-off project, and funds were earmarked in the 2026 National Budget for the first phase, with further allocations planned as it expands over five years.
In Port Mourant alone, about 609 acres will be modernised, including 102 roads and 21 kilometres of road upgrades. Importantly, the Guyana Development Bank will help residents turn business ideas into viable enterprises, so these communities become places to earn, not merely to live.
Finally, the President placed people at the heart of the next phase, pointing to a specialised STEM school to be developed with ExxonMobil. That builds on momentum already visible: The Guyana STELLAR programme is giving specialised science and mathematics training to 60 pre-service secondary teachers under a US$100 million, 10-year Guyana STEM Initiative. A nation rich in oil must become richer still in skill.
The President did not pretend the journey was easy; he spoke candidly of workload, challenges and setbacks. But he also reminded us that transformation must rest on values: Peace, understanding, dignity and honour. That is the right compass.
Guyana has laid its foundation. Now comes the harder, nobler task of building a caring, connected nation on top of it. The President has set out the plan. Every Guyanese has a stake in seeing it through.