President Irfaan Ali has announced plans to establish an agro-investment park and two business districts in Linden as members of his Cabinet fanned out across Region Ten for a two-day outreach, but no costs or commencement dates were given for the proposed developments.
Ali made the announcements during a meeting with residents of Victory Valley on Wednesday, according to information released by the Department of Public Information (DPI) and the President’s Facebook page.
The proposed business districts are to be established on both sides of the Demerara River and are intended to bring small enterprises together in designated areas where they could receive infrastructure, training and access to financing.
Ali also said the government was examining the establishment of an agro-investment park in Linden, equipped with irrigation, modern technology and extension services.
He encouraged young people to consider tunnel-house farming, swine production, agro-processing and honey production.
“We want to work with clusters of persons so that we can build projects, we can increase productivity, we can enhance livelihood, and we can enhance income,” the President was quoted by DPI as saying.
Ali said groups could access financing through the recently established Guyana Development Bank and other government programmes.
However, the government did not identify a site for either the agro-investment park or the business districts. It also did not say when construction would begin, how much the projects would cost or which ministries and agencies would be responsible for implementing them.
At Victory Valley, Ali also announced that work on the community centre would be accelerated, with completion targeted within nine months. The facility is expected to serve as a training and education centre and support programmes for women and young people.
In Coomacka Mines, the President announced that another two kilometres of road would be completed before the end of the year, extending the ongoing works towards Old England.
DPI said Ali also addressed the community’s longstanding water problems. He announced that Guyana Water Incorporated had been instructed to develop a reportedly successful well at Old England and install approximately 1.5 kilometres of transmission infrastructure to supply Coomacka Mines.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Phillips and government MP Sanjeev Datadin met residents of Ituni, where concerns and proposed projects were recorded by officials from various ministries and state agencies.
Phillips said the matters raised would be entered into a government database and used as a checklist for the community’s development.
“We want to reach you in the community, listen to you and identify the projects and programmes that you want us to design and deliver to your community,” he said, according to DPI.
Ministers and other government officials were deployed to several communities across the region, according to posts on their official Facebook pages.
Education Minister Sonia Parag met residents of Moblissa along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway and later visited Mackenzie High School, where she gave contractors two weeks to complete outstanding remedial works, including repainting.
Local Government and Regional Development Minister Priya Manickchand met residents of Muritaro, while Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar held engagements at Bamia and other communities along the highway.
Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Susan Rodrigues also participated in meetings in Linden, while other officials were assigned to Amelia’s Ward, Kara Kara, Swan, Wiruni, Retrieve, Kwakwani and nearby communities.
Many of the ministerial posts provided photographs and general accounts of residents raising concerns but disclosed few firm commitments, costs or implementation schedules.
The latest exercise follows an outreach led by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at Watooka Guest House in August, where residents sought assistance and updates on government programmes.
It also comes more than five years after Ali announced during a January 2021 outreach that 1,000 homes would be built in Linden.
Government reports over subsequent years have said that houses were constructed at Amelia’s Ward and that Plantation York and Millie’s Hideout were identified for further housing development. However, the authorities have not recently provided a comprehensive account of how many of the promised 1,000 homes have been completed and occupied.
During Wednesday’s outreach, Ali said government investment in Region Ten had increased over the past five years and promised further development in infrastructure, housing, agriculture, tourism and small businesses.
“If you believe you have seen transformation in Linden, you have not really seen the massive transformation that still lies ahead,” DPI quoted him as saying.
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