HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY ….“GUYANA MEANS SERIOUS BUSINESS”

May 22, 2016 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

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The Alliance For Change extends hearty greetings to every Guyanese, no matter where they may live, for a celebratory, life-changing 50th Independence Anniversary. The Government has just marked its very first year in office and while we observe the achievements of this nation state over the past 50 years, we are fully cognizant that our work has only just begun.

The road to long-lasting comfort and wealth for Guyanese is long. It is going to be hard, and as we’ve said on several occasions, it will sometimes seem as if we are moving too slowly. But like most things in life, real results take their time to show themselves.
The Government knows that the results of our detailed programmes to enliven this economy will show themselves in due course. All we ask from our citizenry are faith and patience.
The work that is being done in Region Nine is only one of the programmes being carried out all across the nation, programmes that are setting in motion our economic take-off. The Industrial Site at Lethem has been redesigned and is being constructed by SRK ‘NEngineering & Associates Ltd. under the leadership of Dr. Krishna Naraine, their Chief Technical Director, Structural Engineer and Managing Director. This company has more than 40 years experience working on local projects involving water resources, hydraulics, drainage and irrigation, environmental and agricultural studies, road and pavement design and erosion control, among other things.
During a recent visit to a meeting of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Business and Investment Minister Dominic Gaskin laid out plans for the development of the Industrial Site and the immediate benefits for hinterland entrepreneurs. He had led a delegation which included the Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock and the Junior Ministers of Finance, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Natural Resources, Public Health and Public Infrastructure. Groups of engineers, accountants and other technical staff and representatives of several sub-agencies also accompanied the delegation.
In his discourse with the gathering of businessmen and women, Minister Gaskin spoke about the government’s allocation of G$267M to operationalize the Lethem industrial estate. Their visit was in response to the RCCI’s request for Government’s assistance to broaden the scope of the region’s business sector and, among other things, to boost their capacity to employ the youths in the Region.
The Minister was not impressed by the plan that had been previously drawn up for this Industrial site. He said that his Ministry’s Industry Department immediately saw the need to redraw the blueprint and bring to fruition the government’s vision for Lethem, a large border town that already has very closely ties with our neighbour, Brazil.
In fact, Lethem is slated to achieve township status. This is going to materialize as soon as the industrial estate is completed and the health, education, social and public services are upgraded to improve the livelihoods and lifestyles of the residents.
The business owners at the meeting also pressed their case for immediate decentralisation of the business registration process and the key public services – application for passports, birth & death certificates, etc. They informed the team that currently the process of registering their businesses is difficult, since they have been forced to travel to the GRA office at Suddie, Essequibo Coast, at great cost.
The issue of commercial zoning was also raised and members revealed that a few residents had established businesses without following the required procedures and without receiving official approval. This situation has engendered some ‘bad blood’ over the years, and it put several legitimate business owners at some disadvantage.
Minister Gaskin in response noted that matters of this nature should be expeditiously resolved by the new local Government, the Municipality. He stated as well that leases issued for prime lands, if they are not being utilized for the stated purposes, could be revoked.
The challenges faced by law enforcement ranks, such as a shortage of manpower and vehicles appropriate for that inland forested terrain were also discussed. These concerns, Minister Gaskin promised, would be relayed to the Minister of Public Security for his urgent attention.
However, Government will not cut corners to fix challenges. The issues highlighted by the RCCI’s members are being fast tracked and expedited transparently.
This outreach to the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry was a follow-up to a visit made by President David Granger in March.
MANAGING INDUSTRIAL ESTATES
The work of the Ministries and agencies that support and regulate private enterprise is important for Guyana’s economic well-being and these entities need to be properly funded. The Ministry of Business is responsible for a number of agencies and departments which support the development of a strong, vibrant and competitive private sector in all communities in Guyana.
The Industry Department of the Ministry of Business currently monitors two active Industrial Estates with over 120 developed plots at Coldingen ECD and Eccles EBD. These estates support 57 operational factories and approximately 4000 jobs. The main industries are wood processing, cement block-making, electronic engineering, agro food processing, fish processing, furniture manufacturing, metal fabrication and several services.
The Department is in the process of developing new industrial estates at Belvedere, Berbice and Lethem, Rupununi on the strength of the $212M that the 2016 national budget has allocated for developing and fixing our industrial estates this year. The Lethem site will be able to accommodate at least 100 businesses, and Belvedere, Region 6 has space for about 20 businesses.
The Coldingen estate will also have to undergo major capital works as a result of years of neglect. Two new bridges would be built to provide access for heavy duty vehicles that transport materials and goods to and from businesses operating on the site.
These projects have been languishing for well over a decade but the APNU+AFC Coalition had redesigned and will complete them in the foreseeable future to provide appropriate workspace especially for local investors in value-added industries who have the potential for export.

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