‘Guyana is looking at a brighter future’
− Min. Lawrence highlights govt’s mission to make country the ‘Mecca of the Caribbean’
− country’s resources should benefit the people
− agriculture, education sectors remain priority
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, November 9, 2019
Residents of Ann’s Grove, a village located on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), were eager to learn how the government plans to catapult the local economy and improve the lives of citizens through its priority areas.
On Friday, November 8, Minister of Public Health, Hon. Volda Lawrence travelled to the village to share the government’s vision.
“Guyana is going somewhere” was the headline of discussion as accomplishments were acknowledged and plans highlighted.
Residents were reminded of where the country had been prior to the Coalition taking office, and where the Coalition plans to take it in the years ahead with its vision being constantly reiterated by His Excellency, President David Granger and his ministers.
Friday’s meeting, held at the Ann’s Grove Primary, attracted residents from the communities of Clonbrook, Dochfour, Two Friends and other surrounding areas. It heard residents’ unequivocally declaring their support for the current administration.
Also, at the meeting was Regional Chairperson, Genevieve Allen who addressed some of the concerns which were raised by residents.
One of the issues raised was the challenge faced by farmers in the area with drainage and irrigation.
Allen, who also sits on the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Board, stated that all the concerns related to drainage and irrigation, and its effect on agriculture, are before the board and are being ironed out. She reasoned that barring the challenges, there have been significant improvements in this regard.
In her response, Minister Lawrence underscored the importance of agriculture to the local economy and reminded of the government’s plan to further strengthen and expand the sector.
“We are still on a mission to become the breadbasket of the Caribbean and we will do that by not neglecting agriculture… everyone is now looking at us for food because of our capacity to plant.”
Noting the large population of school-aged children in the community, Minister Lawrence emphasised the government’s position on education.
“We are big on education because we envision smart classrooms, children exposed to technology, every child knowing to read and write and we want to have education free from nursery to university, that’s where we are going.”
The meeting also heard from Errol Nedd, a resident who made enquiries about accessing loans and grants for small businesses. In this regard, the Public Health Minister directed Nedd to the Small Business Bureau (SBB).
She also took the opportunity to encourage youths in the community to take advantage of the various training programmes being offered to become self-employed instead of waiting for a job.
“H.E President David Arthur Granger has been pushing self-employment but to get there, young people must learn a skill… there is GTI [Guyana Technical Institute], GITC [Guyana Industrial Training Centre] and so many other places where they can be trained and from there start their own business,” Minister Lawrence advised.