President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has urged Guyanese living overseas to strengthen their ties with the homeland and play a greater role in Guyana’s economic transformation through investment, skills and expertise.
Ali made the call on Thursday evening during a Presidential Meet and Greet at the Jericho Palace Banquet Hall in Queens Village, New York, where hundreds of Guyanese gathered to hear an update on the country’s development programme.
The President said the pace and scale of change taking place across Guyana have created opportunities for both citizens at home and members of the diaspora.
“Guyana is not the same as you knew it. Guyana is punching in every ring. We’re in every conversation. And we are preparing our economy and our country for the second phase of transformation,” Ali said.
He pointed to several developments recorded over the past five years, including the creation of 160,000 jobs, the construction of more than 5,000 kilometres of roads, the delivery of more than 50,000 households and the construction of over 100 new schools.
More than 160 existing schools have also been expanded, while the Government has removed 200 taxes and expanded social programmes, according to the President.
Broad development agenda
Ali said Guyana’s next phase of development will involve significant investment across multiple sectors.
Among the projects highlighted were a deep-water port, additional power generation, the Wales Economic Development Zone, data centres, new port facilities, hotels, hospitals, airport expansion, a fertiliser plant and a gas bottling facility.
The President said diversification will remain central to the Government’s economic strategy, with ambitions to increase Guyana’s capacity to produce and export goods and energy.
“We have to deliver a diversified economy. We have to deliver by 2030 an economy that is exporting food from Guyana, exporting gas, becoming a net producer of energy,” he said.
He stressed that economic expansion must be accompanied by investment in Guyanese people, particularly through education, training and technology.
Ali pointed to the expansion of free tertiary education, thousands of scholarships and increased teacher training as measures intended to prepare citizens for the opportunities being created by the growing economy.
Healthcare and energy
The President also highlighted developments in the healthcare sector, including access to specialised cardiac surgery for children at no cost to families.
He said Government is also advancing plans for a modern oncology centre of excellence and a dedicated women and maternal hospital.
Energy, meanwhile, remains a key priority as electricity consumption increases alongside industrial and economic activity.
Ali acknowledged the need to modernise the country’s electricity infrastructure to keep pace with rising demand and support the expansion of businesses and new industries.
Housing is another major component of the Government’s development programme, with a target of constructing 40,000 homes during the next four years.
The programme is expected to be complemented by social housing initiatives aimed at assisting vulnerable families.
Digital services and diaspora investment
The President also outlined plans to modernise the way citizens interact with Government.
He said new digital platforms will make public services more accessible to Guyanese both domestically and overseas, while a national payment system is expected to make financial transactions easier.
“We have to adopt what is best and bring it into the country. We don’t have the time to work in a straight line,” Ali said.
Turning specifically to the diaspora, Ali encouraged overseas Guyanese to view the country’s economic expansion as an opportunity to contribute directly to national development.
He announced that Government will soon establish a special investment vehicle designed to mobilise capital from the diaspora for major projects.
The facility is expected to provide opportunities for Guyanese abroad to invest in projects such as the proposed fertiliser plant and gas bottling plant.
Ali said the diaspora’s role should extend beyond financial investment, stressing the importance of maintaining a lasting connection with Guyana.
“Patriotism is not a seasonal case. Loving your country is not seasonal. Loving your country is being a citizen for all the seasons,” the President said.
He maintained that Guyana’s transformation will require continued investment, innovation and participation as the country moves into what he described as a new phase of development.