The Irfaan Ali-led administration hopes to position Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni) as the economic hub for Guyana’s hinterland and in so doing, hundreds of jobs will be created.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali, during a visit to the region on Friday, said two new large mines in the region will be operationalised before year’s end.
During the development phase, Dr. Ali said about 1,500 will be needed. Once operationalised, full-time employment will be available for about 700 workers at each mining site.
And there will be an enormous push to train the workers needed, Dr. Ali said too.
Region Seven, for years, has been deemed the gateway to Guyana’s hinterland. President Ali said this title can be reclaimed and the region revitalised through the government’s new development plans.
“We are now working on an economic development plan for every region and Region Seven, we want to see how we can invest in the economy here that would position the region to be the prime producer of goods and services for hinterland development,” the Guyanese Head of State told residents in Bartica.
Outside of these development plans, the President said the government wants to invest in agricultural ventures in the region as part of a national and regional push to grow more food and import less from extra-regional sources.
An expansion of honey production and a possible embrace of citrus farming are ventures mulled seriously.
The President also outlined some of the sectors his government has been investing heavily in. Those include education, agriculture, housing and water, social security, and infrastructure development.
In the education sector, he said about $4.2 billion has been spent over the past three years to guarantee that children have access to better learning opportunities. Money has been spent to guarantee that teachers are also better catered to, he added.
