–through 700 contracts geared at transforming communities, creating jobs, enhancing financial security among thousands of residents
–Vice-President Jagdeo urges Lindeners to position themselves to capitalise on vast opportunities being created

OVER $10 billion has been earmarked to boost infrastructural development in Region Ten, promising to transform communities, create jobs, and bring financial security to thousands of residents.
Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill joined Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo at the Watooka Guest House in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on Friday for the signing of more than 700 contracts under this initiative.
Dr. Jagdeo has appealed to persons, particularly young people in Linden, to position themselves in order make the most of new opportunities being created in key industries across Guyana.

During a community outreach on Friday, he emphasised the critical developments in areas such as health, security, agriculture and hospitality, highlighting the government’s commitment to fostering inclusive development through targetted investment and training initiatives.
Soon, Guyana will have 12 new hotels coming on stream, and while the government is building out this world-class tourism sector, Dr. Jagdeo was keen to point out the need for human capital.
He said: “Those 12 hotels will need 6,000 people to work in them. And I’m not talking about waiters alone or waitresses; I’m talking about chefs, managers, a whole range of managers, event managers, etcetera, that [will] pay a lot of money.”
The government, Dr. Jagdeo said, is not just creating the job opportunities, but also training persons to tap into those opportunities.
He reminded of the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), where thousands have access to tertiary education, and are pursuing studies at various levels.
“If you do a GOAL scholarship now on event management, you could easily land a job in one of those hotels that is being built,” the Vice-President said.
SMART AGRICULTURE
Shifting his attention to agriculture, Dr. Jagdeo outlined the government’s strategic plans to enhance the sector and further engage the country’s youth.
He pointed to investments being made in drone technology to promote ‘smart’ agriculture; this could see youths being trained in advanced technology to delivery fertiliser to rice fields.
There are also opportunities in livestock rearing and aquaculture.
“Our plans for agriculture; ‘smart’ agriculture, many of you can find a career in that,” he said adding: “The future of agriculture would look very different. When people think of agriculture, they think of going into the farmlands, etcetera. It’s ‘smart’ agriculture; it’s marketing. It’s processing, etc… And we have laid out the plan. So, as young people, you have to think along this line,” the Vice-President said.
DIGITAL SOCIETY
Guyana is pursuing a digital society, embracing the use of technology in sectors like security, and with investments being made to build out a robust command centre, there will be a need for skilled and trained technical personnel.
“Now we need people trained in cyber security; we need them to be trained in financial intermediation, how to run apps that are financial in nature,” Dr. Jagdeo said, adding: “All of this, young people, is an opportunity.”
The aim is to create a new generation of leaders; providing all the tools necessary for prosperity.
Dr. Jagdeo said: “There will be lots of opportunity for you to self-create jobs, or to also benefit from jobs that the government has… We want to groom people to take over leadership positions in the country, too.”
The Vice-President further defended the government’s part-time employment programme, describing it as a valuable stepping stone that enables participants to uplift themselves and transition into more stable, long-term opportunities.
He said: “Many of them have started studying; many have moved over to more permanent jobs, because that was the start that they needed… We don’t intend to do that to throw people out the programme, but we want to encourage them to study and move on to bigger things in life. That’s how we work.”
From advance health infrastructure to biometrics, Dr. Jagdeo stressed that there are vast opportunities in Guyana, and youths need to plan for their future.
He said: “You need to plan for the future yourselves, like how we plan the future of Guyana, the infrastructure and everything else; you need to know what’s going to happen, so you can plan your own future.”