Plans are in the pipeline for the resuscitation of the E-Government site located close to the Guyana/Brazil border crossing, in an effort to provide internet access in the capital town of Lethem and other communities in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine).
According to a release from the DPI, Chairman of the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), Floyd Levi during a visit to the site on Friday, February 16, said the site, which has not functioned for some three years, was established to connect with any Brazilian company offering internet, to service government offices, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hubs in Lethem.
“We also intend to use this position to take internet all the way to communities all the way in the North Rupununi Savannahs such as Rupertee, Annai and even far North as Kurupukari,” Levi noted.
The site visit marked the beginning of a feasibility study, which will then be followed by a further visit by a team of engineers who will conduct an assessment to determine the cost to receive internet connection from the site, possibly over a Microwave Network to the North Rupununi.
Engineers from the Ministry of Business also provided the NDMA Chairman with an initial assessment of the condition of the site. Levi explained that while not visible the tower at the site is leaning and has other infrastructural defects that must be corrected.
“The base that was built for the generator, the foundation has actually given away so we do have to make some civil engineering interventions and we need to know if those interventions are possible and what are the likely costs of resuscitating this site. That is our first priority,” Levi explained.
The NDMA Chairman was part of the team lead by Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes that conducted outreaches in Lethem and several villages in Region Nine including Toka, Aranaputa, Rupertee, Annai, Kurupukari and Fairview in Region Eight.
A visit was also made to the E-Government site at the Kurupukari Crossing. The NDMA Chairman said once that site is reassessed, it is anticipated that internet will be provided to the Guyana Police Force and Immigration offices in that area, Iwokrama and Fairview.
