The Upper Demerara-Berbice Region can escape from the poverty trap

Jan 19, 2014 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

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The Upper Demerara-Berbice Region need not be poor. The Region, with a size of 19,387 km², is bigger than the State of Kuwait, but its population of 55,000 is less than that of St Kitts-Nevis. It is centrally and strategically located with borders with six other regions – Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 – and is the main land route to Region No. 9. It is the real gateway to much of the hinterland and, indeed, the rest of South America.
The Region is best known as the source of country’s bauxite but it is also a significant source of timber. The agricultural potential of its vast intermediate savannahs and fertile riparian farms is still largely untapped. The Region has made its mark on the cultural and tourism scene as the legendary home of the national jubilee – Mashramani – and the Rockstone Fish Festival. There is no doubt that the Region is rich in resources but many residents remain poor.
Pervasive poverty among the common people is one of the main impediments to progress. The standard of living – measured by the cost of essential goods, net household income, life expectancy, access to health care and human safety – is low for many residents. Earlier economic experiments such as the Linden Economic Advancement Fund (LEAF) – the successor to the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP) have been starved of refinancing thereby depriving many poor of the opportunity to escape from the poverty trap.
Educational attainment, an essential element in economic recovery, is below expectations. It has been affected adversely by the large number of dropouts from the primary and secondary schools and the large number of failures at the National Grade Six Assessment examinations. Some schools still lack running water; classrooms are congested and without adequate furniture; some are physically unsafe or insanitary and repairs to others are incomplete.
Employment opportunities for the large number of school leavers are few. The presence of the Russian Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc and the Chinese Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Inc. (BMGGI) and Bai Shan Lin companies has provided slight relief. These companies, however, have been plagued by several labour issues some of which remain unsettled. The Government never fulfilled its promises of new investments. The proposed school of mining never materialized. Qualified young people feel obliged to migrate to other regions in search of work.
Environmental issues are never far from the surface. Recent bouts of extreme weather have led to serious flooding. Collaboration among the Regional Democratic Council, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and the Linden Town Council has brought some relief through the clearing of canals and drains to alleviate flooding.  Heavy rainfall however, occasionally inundates roadways, homes and farms. Sections of the Ituni-Kwakwani roadway are susceptible to being flooded, bringing traffic between the mining communities to a halt. Swollen creeks sometimes overflow their banks and flood communities. Parts of Kwakwani have been known to be under water for several days.
Economic prospects have never been in doubt. Linden, the Region’s administrative centre, has been recognised as a potential hub for commerce and services. The Region can profit from its favourable location and the construction of the US$5M Takutu River bridge between Bon Fim in Brazil and Lethem in the Rupununi. Brazilian entrepreneurs have been entering Guyana for decades to exploit this country’s mineral wealth, facilitated by through the Lethem-Linden road. Brazilian investors from the SEBRAE Group-Brazil met with the Linden business community in 2010 to commence commercial cooperation and business development.
Physical infrastructure throughout the Region is inadequate and is a serious impediment to progress. The Linden-Ituni-Kwakwani and the Lethem-Linden roads are in a poor state. Residents complain that, owing to the almost impassable roads in some areas, mini-bus drivers charge higher fares and some road trips that should take 90 minutes can take up to 5 hours. Lindeners who want to go to Lethem or Mahdia have to travel to Georgetown to join a bus, which returns through Linden. The withdrawal of the Berbice river-boat service has affected agricultural production and marketing in the upper Berbice River.
Public services, particularly heath, have also suffered. The main regional hospital – the Linden Hospital Complex – needs electro-cardiogram and ultra-sound technicians to operate its imaging equipment. River ambulances must be provided to service the riverine areas such as Calcuni, Kimbia, Wiruni and Sand Hills and road ambulances must be made available for this immense but underpopulated Region.
The PPPC administration, seven years ago in 2007, did indeed promise a five-year development plan. Its objectives were claimed to be the reduction of the Region’s traditional dependency on mining and the achievement of long-term economic diversification and collaboration between the state, the private sector and the community.
That plan had targetted the agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, transport, tourism, information communication technology and mining sectors. It proposed four ‘fast-track’ initiatives in the agriculture, tourism, forestry and manufacturing sectors, designed to accelerate growth. It focused on four social sectors – youth, health, education, water and housing – to complement the economic-based sectors.  It addressed, moreover, issues – such as public administration, investment, gender, health and the environment – that would have a direct bearing on development.
The administration, however, seems to have abandoned the Plan. Residents are ready for a new plan to help the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region to escape from the poverty trap.

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