“We are building a nation where every child can aspire, achieve their dreams” – President Ali

– Continual initiatives underway to ensure every Guyanese is part of the country’s advancement

In his Independence address to the nation, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali reassured Guyanese that all the government’s policies, initiatives and investments being implemented, are designed to build a nation where every child can aspire to and achieve their dreams.

To commemorate 58 years since Guyana gained its Independence, the head of state addressed hundreds of citizens convened at the Mackenzie Stadium in Linden, Region Ten for the annual Flag Raising ceremony.

Before divulging his speech, President Ali honoured two dedicated educators who tragically lost their lives along the Linden- Soesdyke Highway, along with the patriotic individuals who have showcased their commitment and sacrifices to the nation.

President Ali then highlighted how Guyana has transformed since its first Independence, shaping its global identity, forging new opportunities, and revitalising itself toward the unified vision of One Guyana and prosperity for every family.

“We recommit ourselves on this occasion to building a Guyana that is resilient, a Guyana that is strong and sustainable, a Guyana that is competitive, and a Guyana in which the citizens of her country, the citizens of our country must and will enjoy the best quality healthcare services, educational services, infrastructure and recreational facilities,” Guyana’s head of state underscored.

“This is the Guyana that we are building and I will demonstrate to you on this, our Independence celebration, how we are systematically ensuring that we build this Guyana, how our children here tonight can look forward to a future that is not only bright and beautiful, but a future in which their aspirations, their goals, their dreams will be met by the investments we’re making,” the president added.

The government is making significant strides towards fulfilling the promise of providing 50,000 house lots to Guyanese by 2025, with already 30,000 allocated since 2020, facilitated by investments in infrasstcuture, housing schemes and supportive policies.

These include the reduced interest rates by 3.4 per cent, enabling low income loans for housing at 3.5 per cent or less and moderate income loans at 5.5 per cent or less, therby ensuring accessible home ownership.

“We have given a subsidy on building materials such as steel and cement so that you can achieve home ownership, and in the next three years, we want to ensure that our men and women in uniform, that they too, all of them live in their own homes, in their own secure homes, and they have that security of home ownership. This is what living in dignity and building prosperity is about,” President Ali further elaborated.

Significant investments are also being pumped into modernising the country’s healthcare system, improving the human resource capacity and upgrading healthcare facilities nationwide.

These investments are producing tangible results, with life expectancy increasing by two years overall to 70 in males and 74 in females.

Also, there has been a notable deduction in child mortality, decreasing from 19 per 100 births in 2019 to 12 per 1000 births currently. Additionally, maternal mortality has reached its lowest point in the country’s history, standing at 96 per 10,000 deliveries, compared to 170 per 10,000 in 2017.

He added, “But we are not satisfied with this. We want our overall life expectancy to go to 72 years by 2025 and to 75 by 2030. That is why, we’re investing in the modernisation of our healthcare system. We’re investing in public health education. We’re investing by partnering with the best in the world to develop a healthcare system that is second to none.”

In education, investments have been made to ensure that every teacher is trained. And soon, Guyana will be rolling out the first the first technologically-driven school for primary and secondary education that will be teaching live online.

“So whilst we’re investing in bringing down the costs of data and making internet and data more accessible to every community, we are also working to ensure not only are we building smart hospitals and investing in telemedicine, but we want to create the first digital education system in this region and perhaps globally, and we want to do this eventually at a national scale,” he stated further.

He also took the time to reassure the nation’s educators that their interests are at the government’s heart and it will do everything to ensure they are treated fairly.

Moreover, since 2020, $22 billion has been granted to the nation’s children under the “Because We Care” education grant programme.

Under this government, Guyana now stands as a global leader in forestry management, climate services, energy, biodiversity and food production, positioning itself at the forefront of international development discussions and ensuring its central role in future conversation.

Notably, there has been a significant increase in the number of vehicles being imported.  In 2023, Guyana imported almost three times the number of vehicles imported in 2019; close to 40,000 vehicles were imported in 2023 compared to 14,000 in 2019.

“What does this tell you? This tells you that our policy of putting more money, more disposable income to the population is working. The prosperity we want to build in every home is working and the policies are delivering results. And to ensure that we secure the livelihood of our population,” he said.

Ministers of government, Chiefs of the Joint Services, members of the diplomatic corps and private sector were among the esteemed guests to have attended the independence celebrations.