Noting that Guyana is blessed with an abundance of natural resources that provides opportunities for every Guyanese, President Dr Irfaan Ali today declared that “there is no reason for our country to be poor, or for our people to want.”
He was at the time making his inaugural address to the 12th Parliament.
“Few other countries in the world can boast of being home to gold, diamonds, bauxite, sugar, rice, cattle and other livestock, forestry, oil and gas, abundant agricultural lands, fresh water and tourism…We, together, have to take hold of these natural resources that have been gifted to us and turn them into national treasure,” the Head of State explained.
President Ali said his Government intends to lay down the infrastructure that will result in the full utilisation of all these resources.
Careful not to preempt the measures to be announced in the upcoming budget – to be presented tomorrow – Ali provided some insights into elements of the PPP/C administration’s development plan.
“We plan to expand our road system across the country, including community roads and hinterland roads. We will also build a bypass road with connections to Mocha, Eccles and the Demerara Harbour Bridge. We will initiate work on several transformative infrastructural projects, that will take years to complete, but we will start them,” he explained.
They will include:
– A deep water harbour at the Berbice estuary
-Support to shore- base facilities
-Support to private investment that will see new branded hotels
-Support to agriculture that will see mega investments in large scale agriculture
-Opening up of new lands through the construction of farm to market access roads
-Commencement of the Linden to Lethem road
-Four Lane highway from Georgetown to Timehri
-Commencement of the Parika to Goshen Road Link to Bartica
-Upgrade and development of new all-terrain road links from Timehri to Bartica
-Upgrade of regional airports
-Building of new ferries
-The construction of a four-lane link between Mandela and Diamond with interconnection to the existing highway to reduce travel time
-Completion of the new Demerara River Bridge
– The construction of a new superhighway from Schoonard to Parika
President Ali acknowledged that every Guyanese wants better quality of life, and he noted that his government will do all it can to ensure this happens.
“Each of us wants a home, reliable electricity, water when we turn on the taps, education for our children, health facilities, and a job that will allow us to pay for those things. That is why job creation is at the top of my Government’s priorities… That is why, we have removed VAT on electricity, water, medicines, and certain food items. That is also why we will upgrade health facilities across the country, including expansion of diagnostic services such as CT Scans, ultrasound, and echocardiogram, at key regional hospitals as well as improve ambulance services,” the President said.
