$160M for first phase of oil and gas, hospitality training centre in Region 6 – President Ali

His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Monday, revealed that the Port Mourant Training Centre in Region Six, will be transformed into a national training centre to prepare Guyanese youth for the oil and gas and hospitality sectors.  

The president said $160 million will be spent on phase one of the project, which is expected to commence by the end of the year.

The president led a community engagement at the Rose Hall Estate Welfare Ground in Canje, along with Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond and Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues.  

“The Guyana National Training Centre will be here in Region Six. This is the centre that will train our young people in different areas of oil and gas and the hospitality institute will be part of that centre. These are the investments that will transform this region,” the president said.

He said that government understands the importance of education and the need to ensure youths are equipped with the necessary skills that would make them employable and contribute to the country’s development.

As such, the sum of $50 million will also be invested to equip the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI), to train young people in skills needed in the region and the country at large.  

“We are creating a macro-vision that will transform this region beyond recognition, that will bring new opportunities, that will bring new jobs, that will bring sustainable jobs, and that will empower people to participate in a greater way in the economy of this region.  That is what we are about.”

The president also spoke of some of the other initiatives implemented to improve access to education within the region. The sum of $108 million was spent on the provision of textbooks for primary aged children. Resources will also be provided for books for the secondary school students.

More than $613 million was also disbursed to parents of school aged children in the region through the Because We Care cash grant, while $122 million was distributed in uniform allowance.

The head-of -state also mentioned some of the other initiatives implemented to bring relief to the citizens including the COVID cash grant which saw some 39,000 households benefiting from $926 million in disposable income.

Further, more than $3.6 billion in pension has been distributed to pensioners. In keeping with its manifesto promise, President Ali said that amount will triple in the coming years.

Additionally, close to $50 million was spent to empower women within the region. “We understand that the issues are multidimensional… not only are we embarking on education and training programme, but we are investing in a shelter for women. We have invested in child advocacy centres for our children,” he noted.

The president said that the initiatives are all part of the administration’s overall plan to uplift the lives of citizens, and create an enabling environment for citizens to thrive and contribute meaningfully to society.