Priority projects to be “carefully” identified for completion under Belt and Road Initiative – State Minister

─ Transportation, ICT sectors to benefit

─ “no reason” why Guyana should not tap into Initiative – Min. Harmon

DPI, Guyana, Monday, August 6, 2018

Guyana will soon present a list of proposed priority projects it wishes to complete with resources provided under the China Belt and Road Initiative.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon made the announcement today. He said the Cabinet was briefed by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge on the benefits to be accrued by Guyana through a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the People’s Republic of China.

It is under this MOU that Guyana will be able to tap into resources from the Belt and Road Initiative.

The proposed list of the priority projects is to be submitted.

The Belt and Road initiative was intended to make available resources to recipient countries for projects related to transportation and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Technical assistance and capacity building are also catered for, with the aim of improving trade and investment relations with China.

Guyana has now joined Panama, Bolivia, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda as countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that have signed onto the Initiative.

Responding to criticisms regarding Government’s embracing of the initiative, Minister Harmon reminded that Guyana was one of the first countries in this hemisphere to give diplomatic recognition to the People’s Republic of China in 1972.

Therefore, the government believes that “there is absolutely no reason why” Guyana should not take advantage of a transformative project such as the Belt and Road Initiative.

Minister Harmon is assuring Guyanese that there is “nothing to fear” since Government has carefully identified projects with clearly defined timelines for completion.

By: Stacy Carmichael

Image: Jameel Mohamed