Over 1,000 roads to be rehabilitated countrywide

purchasing two 32-seater buses to help with transporting of school children along the west coast and west bank.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has committed to purchasing another bus specifically for special needs school children and according to the minister, the vehicle will also be procured.

“We are a caring government, we know what is required to run the country and how to take care of our children,” the minister stated.

The ministry’s extensive road construction and infrastructure improvement programme is proof of the government’s commitment to its citizens, Minister Dharamlall stated.

Over $1.1B injected to aid Rose Hall Estate’s reopening

The Rose Hall Sugar Estate is poised to make a grand comeback in 2023, with the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government dedicating some $1.195 billion towards aiding its reopening in the second crop of this year.The iconic property is among the sugar factories closed under the previous APNU+AFC Government.

The fund will go towards the purchasing of one semi mechanical plant trailer, four fix spray tractors, fertiliser applicator, boom sprayers, 200 drainage tubes and 260 cane punts, among other necessary equipment.

This detail was provided to the Parliamentary Committee of Supply Tuesday (January 31, 2023), by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha.

He was at the time responding to a question posed by Opposition Member of Parliament Vinceroy Jordan on the $2 billion stipulated for the Guyana Sugar Cooperation (GuySuCo). “We could have saved some of the money, but they left some of the punts to rot when they left office, and now we have to build back the punts,” Minister Mustapha said.

From the amount, the minister stated that a total of $539 million will go towards completing major works on the Rose Hall factory alone.

The investment will see the rehabilitation of millers, cane gantry component, cane carrier, broiler component and scales.

Another $50 million will be injected into the construction of buildings and roads around the factory.

The government has successfully completed 75 per cent of major works at the East Canje plant, in its ardent quest to returning “smoke to its chimney,” the agriculture minister noted. “We have almost 3,000 hectares of cane that is ready for the second crop 2022 that will be harvested, that will give us approximately eight to 10 weeks of grinding,” he underscored.

Meanwhile, another $452 million is allocated to the Albion estate to purchase tractors, fertiliser applicator and boom sprayer. Some $300 million is also set aside to begin constructing the packaging plant there.

Further, a sum of $287 million was approved by the supply committee to advance

Contracts were signed which will see the rehabilitation of over 1,000 roads as the government presses the accelerator on the country’s infrastructural development.

Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill, made the disclosure during day two of the consideration of the 2023 budget estimates.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill on day two of the Consideration of Estimates cation, thereby improving on the delivery of services. “Our ministries and agencies are scattered in several buildings at different places. The intent, based on what we’re looking at, these office complexes should be able to accommodate about 6000 persons,” minister Edghill said. intend to be able to allow and facilitate local food… and we are rehabilitating and putting that at a prime tourist spot. The intent is that the old train and the engine that is there will be rehabilitated so that people will be able to go and see what the train used to look like,” the minister stated.

In the supplementary allocations for 2022, some $18.2 billion was provided under the Public Works Ministry for the provision of additional resources to facilitate the upgrading of roads and drains in various communities.

The roll-over amount for the continuance of these works is approximately $14.7 billion.

The sum of $2.6 billion, which was approved in the 2022 budget, was paid to the contractor – Caribbean Green Building Inc – to be used as mobilisation advance for the office towers.

Along with these complexes, the budget provides for the construction of two buildings at Coldingen and Wakenaam.

The creation of this safe space along the Lamaha stretch was conceptualised by His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

New Demerara River Crossing

works at the Blairmont factory, with $200 million budgeted to expand the packaging plant’s operation.

Accordingly, a total of $56 million will be injected to enhance the Uitvlugt estate.

The minister posited that GuySuCo has made significant contributions towards the development of the country’s economy, noting that the industry will become profitable again. “GuySuCo has never failed and it will never fail… GuySuCo is supporting almost half of the population in certain areas, and we will continue to support GuySuCo, because the agency is making a big difference in our country,” the agriculture minister asserted.

The minister restated the government’s efforts to modernise the agriculture sector of which the sugar industry is a vital part. “Let me say this, Mr. Chairman, GuySuCo is responsible for all or most of the wealth that we own today. Even the National Cultural Centre we had money taken from GuySuCo to build… it is making a valuable contribution for our country’s economy,” the minister posited.

The miscellaneous roads programme will see communities in the ten administrative regions benefitting from improved roadways and drainage, and was intended to foster development on a community level.

Meanwhile, the minister highlighted that the budget provides for the construction of new office complexes on lands at Houston, Greater Georgetown.

These complexes are intended to increase efficiency by consolidating these government agencies into one lo-

Further, the minister shared that this year’s budget allocates for the rehabilitation and beautification of the Lamaha corridor to create a safe space for residents. “I think every Guyanese who traverses the Lamaha embankment area will see the transformation that is taking place…that we are moving that corridor from a graveyard of old excavators, junk, old trucks and vessels, and we are doing it as part of the beautification of our urban rehabilitation and renewal programme. With Guyana going towards becoming a tourist destination, part of the vision of Lamaha street where the old train station was located, we intend to put in place an art gallery. We

Meanwhile, in relation to the ongoing preparatory works on the construction of the new Demerara River Bridge, the Public Works minister said, “As it relates to land acquisition, the Ministry of Housing has successfully negotiated and handled all the properties that are in the path of the bridge, and we have no resistance from anyone not wanting to move,”

The company tasked with the construction of the new bridge is the China Railway Construction Company Limited (CRCCL).

The bridge will have a length of 2.65 kilometres, and will not require opening or retraction to allow for maritime traffic and will be built with a life span of at least 50 years.

Construction is expected to last two years.

Gov’t eyeing data repository for oil and gas sector – Min Bharrat – Initiative financially viable

Goodnews may be on the horizon for Guyana’s economic expansion, as the government announced plans for the establishment of an oil and gas data repository.

Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat on Tuesday (January 31, 2023) during the consideration of the National Budgetary Estimates, explained that data in relation to Guyana’s oil and gas operations can be sold, and provide financial benefit for the country.

Discussions have commenced in relation to the establishment of a repository to house this valuable data in Guyana. “The disadvantage being faced right now is that our oil and gas data is not stored in Guyana. The issue is that we could make a lot of revenue by selling that data, by having that data in the country, and by being responsible for it,” minister Bharrat expressed.

Currently, the country’s oil and gas data is stored in a company in Houston, Texas that has the capacity to securely store it.

As such, companies in need of additional information related to prospects for Guyana’s oil industry will need to make a special appeal to the overseas facility in order to access that information.

“So, we’re moving to change that, so that we can have our data stored in Guyana, and we are able to manage that efficiently and earn revenue,” minister Bharrat emphasised.

As Guyana’s oil and gas industry expands, minister Bharrat explained that information related not only the prolific Stabroek Block, but all the oil blocks offshore Guyana, will be in demand.

Data repositories are enterprise data storage entities into which data has been specifically divided for analytical or reporting purposes.

Meanwhile, funds have been allocated in the 2023 budget for the hiring of a consultant to conduct a series of assessments.

These assessments will determine the type of data that will be stored, the hardware and software needed to house the data, and specifications for a suitable facility to house the data.

These will help the government to move forward with the planning for, and eventual construction of the data storage facility.

“If any company, take for example Exxon, that they need additional data on Guyana, seismic data or any other data, then they have to go to this third party in Huston and pay for the data of course 50% will come to us, but it is because we don’t have our own repository in Guyana that we have to take 50% and not 100%,” the minister added.