More than $900 million will flow directly into the communities of Region Eight as the government advances a major initiative to improve roads and bridges while empowering villages to lead and sustain critical infrastructure works.
The investment, announced following the recently concluded National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference, will see each of the region’s 31 Amerindian villages. The Community Development Councils (CDCs) will receive $30 million for road and bridge maintenance, a substantial increase from the previous $5 million allocation.
In a video shared last Friday on the Regional Democratic Council Region Eight Facebook page, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Marti De Souza said the unprecedented investment will place communities in a stronger position to improve internal access while creating lasting economic opportunities.
“The communities are now given the capacity to do repairs to their own roads and bridges. That’s $30 million to 31 communities. That works out to more than $900 million circulating right within our very own region,” De Souza said.
The REO noted that the initiative comes at a critical time, following the recent rainy season when several communities required emergency works on damaged roads and bridges. By placing resources directly into the hands of village leaders, communities will now be able to respond more quickly to infrastructure needs while managing projects at the local level.
Complementing the financial investment, the Ministry of Public Works will deploy five pieces of heavy-duty equipment to each cluster of villages.
The machinery, including bulldozers, graders, dump trucks, rollers and backhoes, will strengthen the region’s capacity to maintain and rehabilitate community infrastructure.
The programme also places significant emphasis on developing local expertise. Ten young people from every cluster will receive specialised training to operate the equipment, creating employment opportunities while ensuring the machinery remains sustainably managed within the communities.
“We will now be empowering our very own young people right within the communities, and the monies will be circulating within the communities also. Communities will now take ownership of the machinery and take ownership of the work that they are doing to improve access on the roadways and the bridges,” The REO stated.