Opportunities in O&G, business, tourism, health & education on the rise for Reg. 6 – Dr Ashni Singh

The groundwork has already begun to alter the socio-economic landscape of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), to create more opportunities in areas such as oil and gas, tourism, health, education and much more.

This was highlighted by minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for finance and the public service Dr Ashni Singh during a recent public meeting hosted by the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) at Fort Ordinance.

Dr Singh explained that the PPP/C has a vision to transform the lives of every citizen across the country and already, works are being executed to achieve this.

In Region Six, the minister pointed to the ongoing construction of a brand-new hospital at New Amsterdam which will create hundreds of job opportunities for locals.

“That hospital will create more than 500 jobs right there…doctors, nurses, lab technicians, technologists, porters, drivers, ambulance drivers, pharmacists…All of you who have children and grandchildren should be thinking, how can I make sure that my child or my grandchild gets qualified and certified to get a job at that hospital? All of you should be asking yourself that question,” Dr Singh expressed, adding that university education is now free.

Additionally, he explained that the government is building a new nursing school in New Amsterdam where locals can register and get the necessary training to take up the jobs that will become available.

“…you can go to the nursing school and become a certified or a registered nurse. And you’re guaranteed a job once you complete that training program at New Amsterdam Hospital,” he noted.

At Palmyra, an international stadium is being constructed. Dr Singh said this single project has created a whole ecosystem of opportunities in that very community – driven by both public and private investments.

“The international hotels, the malls, the restaurants, the business opportunities that are created. And who better to take advantage of those business and job opportunities than the people who live right here…,” he said.

The minister also spoke of the government’s intention to make Port Mourant the technical and vocational capital of the region. Already, the community is home to the Guyana Technical Training College that houses the National Oil and Gas Institute that is already training people for the oil and gas industry.

“Young Berbicians can go right to Port Mourant and get a qualification and a certification that will enable them to get a world-class job in the oil and gas industry,” he highlighted.

Also at Port Mourant, the government is investing in a National Tourism and Hospitality Institute. According to the minister, “you’ll be able to get qualifications and certifications to work in the Tourism and Hospitality Institute anywhere in Guyana and anywhere in the world, studying right here in Port Morant. Imagine the business opportunities that will be created by thousands of students studying in Port Mourant. They’ll be renting accommodation. They’ll be eating food…”

Dr Singh also spoke about plans to develop the country’s second gas project in Region Six, right at the mouth of the Berbice River.

“…and we use that gas for a major industrial development that will include electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing and a whole petrochemical industry, consider for a moment the jobs that will be created and the business opportunities that will be generated for the people of Region Six,” he outlined.

The minister also reminded of the PPP/C’s plan to build a new four-lane bridge over the Berbice River, noting that this initiative will also create more opportunities for locals.

“The People’s Progressive Party, under President Ali’s leadership, has a vision. What is that vision? That vision is a bridge that can handle heavy cargo across the Berbice River…a four-lane highway along the Corentyne, all the way to Moleson Creek, an all-weather road all the way down to Orealla and Siparuta, a bridge across the Corentyne River, all the way to Suriname. And then, going the other way, modern highways that link us through Georgetown, through East Bank of Demerara, all the way to Linden, all the way to Lethem, connecting us with Brazil. That’s the vision.

“That means that if you are producing or growing anything in Berbice, you can load up your truck or your canter, not only drive it to New Amsterdam market, not only drive it to Port Mourant market, but you can drive it to Nickerie and to Paramaribo. And you can drive it to Georgetown and to Linden and to Lethem and to Boa Vista and to Manaus because you’ll be connected to bigger markets. This is what you call creation of economic opportunities.”

In contrast, the PPP/C candidate contended that the PNC/APNU and AFC have done nothing of benefit for the people of Berbice and by extension, the entire country.

“Show me one investment that they mobilised to create jobs. Search the whole Region Six. Start from Orealla, Siparuta, and come all the way to Mara, and show me one investment that APNU+AFC brought to Region Six. Show me one job that they created…You cannot find a single investment or a single new job,” Dr Singh asserted.

Instead, he reminded, the APNU+AFC during its time in office from 2015-2020 took away thousands of jobs from citizens, especially those in the sugar belt. The impact, Dr Singh reminded, was felt not only directly by those who lost their jobs but the village economies that depended on the operations of those sugar estates that were shutdown.

In fact, Dr Singh contended that this type of “callous” governance is ingrained in the PNC leaders and history would tell.

“We have seen the PNC in the pre-1992 era destroying and bankrupting our entire country and you would have thought that they may have changed. They came back into government from 2015 to 2020. They have not changed one bit,” he posited.

“If you study the history of our country, you will see that on every occasion that the PNC has been in office, has been a period of dictatorship, it has been a period of economic decimation and destruction. And it has been a period that the Guyanese people have been impoverished.”