More than $5B to be invested in Reg. 2 in coming weeks—President Ali

President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday announced that more than $5 billion will be invested in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

The President made the announcement during his Presidential Outreach which is being held at the Regional Democratic Council in Anna Regina.

“Today we have a very simple task, and that is to ensure we fulfill our mandate in public office, not impede service, [and] not increase the cost of service,” President Ali told residents.

Some of the major investments in the pipeline include the construction of a water treatment plant; additional power generating capacity for the region; the implementation of a $50 million road programme; the commencement of a $70 million sea defence programme; distribution of more than 4,500 cash grants; and the rehabilitation of 50 miles of drainage and irrigation infrastructure.

The Head of State said that the main aim of his visit is to resolve many of the issues faced by residents, which he noted are “resolvable.”

In this regard, he pointed to the importance of the exercise and the potential impact it will have on the lives of the beneficiaries. The President also announced that a Rapid Response Team will be set up to address the concerns of the residents in the swiftest possible manner.

He assured that there will be more such exercises as the government will be moving forward in a spirit of collaboration and connection to the people.

Alluding to a similar such exercise conducted in Region Six in November, President Ali said that, “after Region Six, residents are tremendously happy. Issues that were not resolved in years were resolved. What it tells us is that these issues are solvable. But sometimes the bureaucracy does not allow us to resolve them. That is why at these outreaches we want the head of every agency, so you can make an assessment as to what areas of improvement the agency requires.”

The President is personally addressing the concerns raised, which ranges from access to electricity, water, land allocation concerns and drainage issues among other areas.

Throughout the day, scores of residents will be given the opportunity to raise their issues with the high level team during the outreach exercise.

Agencies represented at the Presidential Outreach included government officials, representatives from the Office of the President; the Ministry of Housing and Water; the Central Housing and Planning Authority; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Guyana Power and Light (GPL); National Insurance Scheme (NIS); National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA); the Ministry of Health; the Guyana Police Force; and Regional Officials among others.

The exercise is also aimed at reducing the bureaucracy and will see the collaboration among various agencies to address concerns at the community level. (Modified press release from Office of the President)