Rocked by unique challenges, Jagdeo seeks ‘fresh’ employment solutions in riverain communities

Many of the small riverain communities in Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice) are confronted by unique challenges because of their size and geographic location but Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo says that fresh solutions are needed to meet residents’ needs.

The Vice President is meeting with scores of residents in the region, including those from the indigenous and mixed-race communities along the Demerara and Berbice rivers.

And as part of his outreach activity, he has been engaging the residents from the riverain communities separately, cognisant that their challenges are different from those faced in the wider region.

The Vice President explained that some of the national developmental plans may not be able to meet their needs because they are located in small pockets in far-flung areas. Even so, he emphasised that equitable development of the country requires the development of each citizen.

Resultantly, he floated the idea of creating community hubs that would allow residents to access educational opportunities the government is offering through its new scholarship programme – the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL).

Why this is important, he said, is that qualified people are more likely to access more high-paying jobs.

Beyond accessing more high-paying jobs, however, the Vice President said that jobs must be created within the communities to encourage people to stay there and develop their areas. Old ideas, he said, will simply not suffice.

“We have to come up with fresh ideas for employment in these areas,” Jagdeo told a gathering that included residents from Muritaro, Malali, Kwakwani, Rockstone and Landersville.

He added, “We have to think about new ways of working and retraining people.”

Residents suggested that they could engage in more agricultural activity in their communities since this will aid their self-sufficiency and add to the nationwide thrust of increasing food security.

And Jagdeo agreed that this could be a viable solution, noting that people will always need food. He also pointed out that if agricultural activity is expanded in these communities, new roads and other infrastructure, for example, would be needed. And this too, he posited, would create jobs.

The Vice President has tasked a governmental team with travelling into these small communities and investigating their challenges in-depth. Subsequently, he assured the residents that the government will be crafting solutions for these communities specifically.