Billion$ Rural Development Fund… No evidence to support $100M spent on Call Centre, Plantain Chip Factory –Minister of State

Jul 09, 2015 News

The Granger administration is unable to locate any documentation supporting the spending of some $100M from the Rural Development Fund on certain projects by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.

This was communicated to the media yesterday by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon during his post Cabinet press conference held at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Harmon said that Cabinet was briefed by the Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin on some of the projects that were ongoing under the previous administration.

The Minister of State said that these projects were under the Rural Development Fund that was managed by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce into which $1B had been placed. The Fund was approved during the 2014 budget.

Harmon said that this Fund was meant to create employment in rural communities.

The Business Minister subsequently reviewed the status of the projects in Wakenaam, Leguan, Tuschen and Enmore on the East Coast and found that they were not completed.

The projects at Wakenaam and Leguan have to do with the establishment of a plantain chip factory and a call centre.

Harmon said however, as at June 30, 2015, over $20M had been spent on the building at Wakenaam and that there was a further $33.6M still to be spent on it. He said, too, that some $24.7 was expended “but what was most important is that the Minister of Business, looking for proposals and documents to support the projects, could find none.”

As such, Harmon said that Cabinet agreed for Gaskin to be assisted by various agencies such as the Guyana Marketing Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture and other entities to conduct a very serious review of the monies spent under the project.

He said that some $100M had been spent and therefore they have to now do a review as to the balance of the money in the Rural Development Fund and determine the way in which the monies were spent.

The Business Minister will also receive support from Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo and Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan.