Amerindians equally important to Guyana’s development – Pres. Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali reassured residents of Orealla, Corentyne River, Region Six, that Amerindians are equally important to the development of Guyana.

The Head of State made the assertion during an outreach to the community today.

He reassured the residents that the Government will always be their partner in the development and is ready to embrace them in realising their dreams.

Training Center

Noting that training is important for the forward movement of the residents of Orealla, Dr Ali revealed that soon they will be able to access technical training with the construction of a new state-of-the-art ‘National Technical Training Centre in the region.

We are building a state-of-the-art national technical training centre that will be focused on skill development for the needs of our country in the future. And that centre will be located right here in Region Six and we expect that your children, the young people to be part of that programme,” he said.

This is in keeping with a promise in the PPP/C’s 2020 elections manifesto to deliver quality education to all Guyanese.

Meanwhile, President Ali outlined a number of initiatives implemented by his government to improve the lives and living standards of citizens including those living in Orealla. These include an increase in old age pension, return and increase in the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant, the expansion of the school feeding programme, rehiring of the Community Support Officers (CSO) and the removal of VAT from hundreds of basic items.

ICT development

The President assured that those living in the hinterland and riverine communities will benefit from improved internet connectivity as the administration moves to ensure equal access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) which is seen as a critical tool for the future including easier access to education and training programmes offered by the government.

With agriculture being the main economic activity in Orealla, President Ali informed residents of the critical role they will play in CARICOM’s effort to reduce its food import bill by 25 percent by 2025. He committed to providing the necessary support to farmers including equipment and planting materials to ensure that they too benefit from opportunities available in the agriculture sector.

At the meeting, Dr Ali was joined by Minister of Agriculture, Honourable Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Honourable Pauline Sukhai; Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Honourable Nigel Dharamlall and other Government and regional officials.

The President and his team also engaged residents of Siparuta also in the Corentyne River. [Extracted and modified from DPI]