Canada eager to boost capacity in gov’t agencies, hopes for buy-in

Canada believes that local bodies require rapid upskilling amid Guyana’s ongoing transformation and it hopes that government agencies will tap into the expert capacity-building services it is offering.

Canada’s offer comes through the Canada CARICOM Expert Deployment Mechanism (CCEDM). This is a four-year programme that is funded by the Government of Canada and implemented by the Canadian Executive Services Organization (CESO).

This mechanism, the Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Mark Berman explained, allows government agencies to benefit from a raft of advisory services that include coaching, training, and workshops.

“In practice, any national level entity can identify their priorities and receive support in the form of technical assistance,” Berman said at an event in Kingston, Georgetown on Tuesday.

He posited that there is no limit to the advisory support that can be provided since the CESO has a roster of about 1,500 qualified instructors.

The High Commissioner believes that these services are particularly important for Guyana now.

“Guyana, as you all know, is at a significant point in history where the country is experiencing rapid growth and the country may need expertise in certain sectors and support for certain initiatives,” Berman said.

So far, only the Ministry of Education has been able to benefit from these support services. Some 30 primary school teachers from Region Four (Demerara- Mahaica) are being trained to become specialists in mathematics.

Other government ministries and agencies have indicated an interest in benefitting from these services but there are no concrete plans.

Berman hopes that this will change soon. In fact, he asked Education Minister Priya Manickchand to encourage her colleagues to tap into these services as she has done.

The CCEDM’s Regional Representative for Guyana and Suriname Renata- Chuck-A-Sang also indicated that there is much scope for agencies to benefit.

She, however, clarified that the programme is a demand-driven one that requires organisations to request advisory services and the services requested must align with the organisations’ strategic plans.

“So it must be part of their already focused work plans,” Chuck-A-Sang said.