His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali announced today that within four weeks, Government Service Centres will be established in Bartica and Kamarang, Region Seven (Cuyuni—Mazaruni).
The Head of State made the announcement during his address to hundreds of residents of Karrau Creek and Kamarang, Region 7, during separate meetings as part of a Cabinet outreach on Sunday.
The President emphasised that the service centres will serve as a one-stop, decentralised hub where residents can access a range of government services, including those from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), the Guyana Registrar’s Office (GRO), the Central Immigration & Passport Office, and E-ID services.
The establishment of the Centres will enable quicker access to government services within the region, eliminating the need for long travel and will save residents both time and money.
During the meetings, the President emphasised that the aim of the outreach is to discuss the next development priorities for the communities and, by extension, the Region. He said that his Government is investing heavily in the Region because it is not only an important Region for mining but also for forestry, “and an extraordinarily important region for tourism and tourism development”.
President Ali highlighted a number of ongoing initiatives, including the construction of the Sandhills to Bartica road, the recently completed new Bartica Stelling, and the new boat being procured to ply the Bartica route.
Development Initiatives for Kamarang
Addressing the residents of Kamarang, President Ali noted that, in a bid to increase the region’s food security, his Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, will establish a 20,000-capacity tunnel-house poultry farm within the next three months. The chickens, the President said, will be sold to the upper Mazaruni area at cost. He said that a segment of the Army’s Agricorp will be deployed to the community to ensure that the project is set up as quickly as possible.
Additionally, the Government will also invest in increasing the community’s cold storage capacity, with an investment made in procuring three 20-foot containerized solar blast freezers.
“That will reduce tremendously the cost of two key items, eggs and chicken. This is an investment that will cost us maybe close to $300 million, but we’re going to make this investment to enhance the food security of the upper Mazaruni area”.
Also high on the agenda is the development of a fuel depot in collaboration with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). The President emphasised that this depot will not be for the mining community, but to supply fuel for households.
“In addition to the fuel depot, we’re going to see how we can establish a depot for cooking gas, because we can use some of our military assets to transport from Bartica to Kamarang.”
Development Initiatives for Karrau
For the Karrau community, President Ali noted his commitment to improving infrastructure connectivity and the electricity network. He announced that a team led by the Prime Minister’s Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation and the Honourable Deodat Indar, will assess whether an off-grid system or another solution is best for the village, with the goal of ensuring that the community benefits significantly from the investments made to improve their living conditions.
He added that another priority area for development is enhancing food security in the village and the Region.
High on the agenda also is the rehabilitation of the villages’ 2km road and another 8-10KM road that connects to the backlands. He said his government has decided to procure the necessary equipment and develop a system where the villagers will rehabilitate and maintain their own roads. This initiative will also be replicated in Kamarang.
The President also noted that soon the community’s health centre will have a full-time dentist. The necessary equipment was already procured.
Another important initiative, the President said, will be a housing improvement project requested by the community. He said his government will conduct an assessment of all vulnerable families in the community to provide materials to improve their homes.
Several other key projects have also been earmarked for the community, including fixing one of the two wells to increase the water supply; assessing over 400m of erosion to determine necessary repairs; and helping to develop Karrau’s recreational facility. The village will also benefit from the construction of a new secondary school, which is currently at 85% completion.
President Ali and his cabinet are on a two-day outreach to Region 7.
