-says investments will benefit generations
PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali said his priority for the next four years is to build on the foundations laid during his first six years in office, bringing communities closer together while pursuing projects intended to transform Guyana’s economy.
In a sit-down interview with Journalist Fareeza Haniff on Sunday, President Ali reflected on his tenure.
He pointed to the fulfilment of his administration’s 2020 and 2025 election manifestos, major infrastructural development, expanded housing and the creation of new centres of economic opportunity as key elements of the progress achieved.
“We went to the elections with a manifesto, both in 2020 and 2025. We’ve been able to fulfil those manifestos completely,” he stated.
President Ali said the next four years will focus on building on that foundation while bringing greater unity among citizens, families and communities.
He said the development agenda must also extend beyond roads, bridges, ports, schools, health centres and hospitals to include transformative investments that are capable of delivering benefits for generations.
“Those transformative investment projects, those economic projects that would last for generations, that would position Guyana as a food hub and food capital for the world, that would advance our biodiversity and climate services, that will position us as an energy hub, that will deliver the highest skilled human resource potential and capacity,” he noted.
The President pointed to the new Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge as one of the visible infrastructural developments during his tenure.
The Head of State also highlighted the Model Village Initiative as part of a broader approach to expanding access, opportunity and improved living conditions in communities.
He said his own experiences growing up in rural Guyana, including limited access to sporting facilities, and other opportunities available in Georgetown, helped shape his understanding of inequality and the importance of creating opportunities across communities.
Those experiences were reinforced by his early work as a planner on community development projects, where he said investment in infrastructure helped transform communities into new centres of growth and economic opportunity.
Using Diamond as an example, the President recalled how investment helped attract financial institutions and major industries, changing the character and economic potential of the community.
He said the Model Village initiative is intended to build on that experience by creating communities that demonstrate the standard to which villages across Guyana can aspire.
“A model village being what we want every village to be like in Guyana,” he underscored.
The Guyanese leader said his experiences growing up in a rural community had made him aware of inequalities in access to facilities and opportunities recalling encountering sports such as badminton and squash only after leaving his village to attend school in Georgetown.
His work on the Secondary Towns Improvement Project, he said, further shaped his views on how investment could help rural communities develop into centres of economic opportunity.
President Ali also identified human-resource development as a central component of the next phase of national transformation, pointing to plans for a specialised STEM school involving ExxonMobil.
He said the transformation of Guyana must ultimately combine modern infrastructure with a society that is caring and supportive, grounded in values including peace, understanding, dignity and honour.
Reflecting on the demands of the presidency, President Ali acknowledged the significant workload, challenges and setbacks experienced during the past six years.
He said the results demonstrate the impact of the investments and efforts made.
That preparation, he said, now provides the platform for the next phase of Guyana’s development, with greater emphasis on long-term economic transformation, human resource development, stronger communities and opportunities that can benefit generations to come.
