Guyana is key player in global climate fight; confronting energy, food crisis – Pres. Ali
- encourages diaspora in Canada to invest in Guyana
By Akeem Greene in Ontario, Canada.
Guyana will leave its unique footprint in the global environment, President Dr. Irfaan Ali affirmed at the weekend as he expressed the belief that the South American nation can play a significant role in confronting the world’s climate, energy and food crises.
To achieve this and continue on the trajectory of being deemed the fastest-growing economy in the world, President Ali encouraged Guyanese in the Canadian diaspora to invest in the many opportunities back home.
“We in Guyana will be part of a new global system, establish our credentials, and be part of the solution, not the problem.
“There will be no conversation about these crises without Guyana being mentioned as part of the solution”, the President stated on Saturday night as he delivered a passionate address at a Guyana/Canada diaspora event held at the La Primavera Banquet Hall in Ontario.
However, Dr. Ali said this would require more than talk and rather a paradigm shift by all Guyanese in their attitude and approach to development and the changes necessary to sustain it.
“The way we act, think and behave, relate to each other, see each other as part of a human family, does not require money; it involves mindset.
“Transformation requires societal change, shift in thinking, shift in behavior, which requires hard work and staying the course”, Ali reiterated to a resounding applause.
To boost development, the President reemphasized it will not be based on oil and gas solely but other sustainable areas of development, especially agriculture.
The President touted Guyana’s debt ratio (money being used to international service debt) at just 4.1% and believes that Guyana needs not to model after other countries but will create its pathway to prosperity.
“A journalist asked me ‘how do I want to sell Guyana?’. We do not need to sell Guyana. What we need to do is talk about Guyana.
“Guyana is already creating its path, but we as leaders need, we as citizens, we must present what Guyana offers to the world, not what Guyana offers to Guyanese but what Guyana offers to the world because our prosperity must not lead to arrogance,” Dr. Ali said.
The President called on persons in the diaspora to diligently research investment portfolios and noted that the business process would soon become more efficient with a shift to a “paperless” transaction.
The aim is to develop a “world-class service center” by utilizing the technology available to “move Guyana up the chain.”
“We have to unlearn decades of what we learned and then relearn.”
In March, the Government signed a US$34.5 million contract with Veridos – a German-based provider of integrated identity solutions – to implement an electronic identification system locally to see new identification numbers and cards issued to Guyanese.
The system, once fully implemented, will also help the government with its issuance of work permits and other necessary documentation for resident identification.
