150,000 Guyanese to become coders through new UAE partnership

A forthcoming partnership between the Governments of Guyana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will see 150,000 Guyanese receiving software development training, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said.

The Guyanese Head of State, while addressing the opening of the Berbice Expo on Friday night, said that Guyana hopes to position itself as a major player in the technology industry.

Doing so, he explained, requires the country to develop its prowess in coding for software development, and in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). That means relevant skills training will be crucial.

That said, he announced, “We are now working with the UAE government to launch a programme to train 150,000 Guyanese as coders.”

This training will be delivered online and according to President Ali, it will be the first of its kind in the region.

Beyond this, he said that efforts are underway to establish Guyana as a zone for data services and data banks. That could involve the collection and storage of data.

“We are going to pass new legislation for Guyana to become a major player in the data industry,” he related.

Aside from these new initiatives, the Head of State noted that the government will continue its plans to establish call centres across the country. These are expected to create jobs and provide more disposable income to people.