Govt will continue developing programmes to uplift lives of Amerindians – PM

As Amerindian Heritage Month came to a close, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips reiterated the Government’s commitment to bridging the developmental gaps between coastal areas and hinterland communities.
The Prime Minister made these remarks on Friday during a cultural extravaganza hosted at the Office of the Prime Minister on Camp Street, Georgetown, for staff and representatives of various agencies under his purview.
“I want to assure our Amerindian brothers and sisters that [the Government] will continue to deliver programmes and projects aimed at uplifting lives and livelihoods wherever they are located and fostering integration into mainstream Guyana,” Phillips said.

He noted that the Government has allocated $2.97 billion to more than 240 Amerindian communities to enhance their housing, education, healthcare provision and infrastructure at large.
“We want those communities to have all the amenities that are available on the coast because you want people to remain in the communities as much as possible and modernise those communities,” Phillips said.
He noted that significant strides have been made in ensuring greater access to education for Amerindian children, with the construction of new schools and renovations to several existing ones.
Meanwhile, a number of hospitals and health centres are also being modernised and outfitted with better equipment to ensure equitable access to health services across Guyana.
In regards to technological advancements in Amerindian communities, Phillips explained that over 200 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hubs are under construction as part of the ICT Access and e-Services project for Hinterland, Poor, and Remote Communities.
In addition to these efforts, 30,000 household solar systems, valued at $7.2 million, have also been distributed.
To this end, Prime Minister Phillips reminded that Guyana has secured a $750 million deal for carbon credits over the next decade whereby 15 per cent of this amount will be given annually to Indigenous communities to be used for various development projects of their choosing.
Phillips acknowledged Guyana’s Amerindian heritage as a key component of the country’s cultural diversity and further stated the need to develop the country as a whole.
“When we talk about One People, One Nation, One Destiny, it means we must understand the culture of all the peoples that make up Guyana, and that is why our President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, came up with this concept of ‘One Guyana’. We are one people; we are one nation with one destiny, and ‘One Guyana’ means that our focus for the development of Guyana must be for all the peoples of Guyana,” Phillips said. (G13)