IT will enable Guyana to leapfrog on its development curve – PSC Chairman
Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Paul Cheong believes that the use of information technology (IT) “will enable Guyana to leapfrog on its’ development curve.”
The PSC chair was speaking during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) recently. Mr Cheong was part of the Guyanese delegation, that accompanied His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali to India, earlier in January.
He opined that both government and the private sector must start engaging IT companies to look for solutions to some of the problems locally.
The utilisation of technology in every area is essential, for example in agriculture, horticulture, furniture manufacturing, agro-processing, and biomass energy production.
To this end, the PSC chairman shared that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been inked to set-up a biomass generation plant that will utilise wood-based by-products, which will create affordable and environmentally friendly energy.
He noted that even in sugar production value added products such as paper and cardboard can be derived from the by-products, as is done in India.
“We must tweak our industry to add more value to the production chain, which will make the industry more profitable,” he underscored.
Mr Cheong further stated that with the use of IT, more accurate information can be obtained in terms of soil nutrients, which enables the correct interventions that will lead to more efficiency and profitability in food production.
This, he pointed out helps to remove guess-work that is sometimes present in large scale agricultural efforts in Guyana.
With India’s access to technology and Guyana’s access to available raw materials, “We expect many, many good things coming out from this visit [with India]” he said.
Further, the PSC chairman disclosed that committees have been set up to explore the various technological opportunities that exist in India, that can be customised for Guyana.
He also commended the president’s initiative as opening doors of opportunities for Guyanese businesses to seek out joint ventures with their Indian counterparts, which will accelerate the manufacturing sector.