1,500 new jobs in mining for Region Seven – President Ali

Approximately 1,500 residents of Region Seven are poised to gain employment opportunities from two new large-scale mining operations set to commence construction shortly.

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali made this disclosure, during a community engagement at the Bartica Community Centre Ground on Friday.

He said each mining site is expected to employ around 700 workers, all of whom will undergo requisite training.

“The two new large mines that will come into operation before the end of this year will see training for full-time employment of more than 700 persons. So, we have to find 700 persons to work in one of those mines,” President Ali revealed.

President Ali emphasised the ongoing discussions between Bartica’s mayor and regional stakeholders to facilitate these training programmes.

Furthermore, the government is exploring the feasibility of establishing a call centre within the region, offering additional employment prospects for young individuals.

Meanwhile, in line with efforts to bolster agriculture in the hinterland, President Ali highlighted the Ministry of Agriculture’s initiatives to develop large-scale honey, citrus, and sweet cassava production programmes.

These endeavours, he said, aim to enhance food sustainability and security within the region.

“In this region, you will have between 400 to 500 new hives when you look at all the communities we are going to support. We want to have large-scale citrus farming and we have already identified areas for this. We are working now to expand the sweet cassava programme, looking at higher-yielding variety,” the head-of-state explained.

To promote sports activities among residents, plans are underway to rehabilitate six recreational facilities, complementing ongoing works on others.

Acknowledging the significant investments made by the government in the region, President Ali underscored the allocation of over $4.2 billion in education, $13 billion in housing and water projects, and an additional $500 million in agriculture over the past three years.

“We are going to continue to make these investments to ensure that the people of this region benefit, to ensure that lives are made easier and better the level of services that will be brought to the people,” the president asserted.

President Ali reaffirmed his government’s unwavering commitment to realising these initiatives, emphasising that no effort will be spared to ensure the region’s residents benefit from improved services and opportunities.

For the past two days, President Ali led an outreach to Bartica and surrounding communities in Region Seven, actively listening to residents’ concerns and providing immediate interventions to address them.