President Ali announces 500 homes among major development plans for Bartica

President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced that five hundred (500) residents including teachers, nurses and other young professionals of Bartica, Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven) will benefit from homes under the government’s turn-key initiative.

President Ali made this announcement during an outreach held at the Bartica Community Centre Ground on Wednesday, where a large crowd gathered to raise their issues and concerns. The President disclosed that the 500 homes, will be constructed on 120 acres of land which he said was identified for housing development in the township. Ali said that teachers and nurses will particularly benefit, since they raised housing concerns during a prior engagement.

“We are going to work with the people in Region Seven, the skilled men and women, the small contractors in Region Seven, because we want to use that 120 acres of land to build at least 500 homes here, using the labour and contractors from here,” Ali said. The President disclosed that in addition to the home construction programme which will result in major economic development, he noted that the government is also working on an infrastructural transformation plan that will see major road improvement in Bartica, and surrounding communities.

“We are already talking about new hinterland connections, roadways to open new opportunities for the people. … We understand the need for reliable road infrastructure for miners, and we will address that…This is the vision we are pursuing,” he explained.

Logistics hub

The President outlined plans to transform Bartica into a major logistics hub, since it is a gateway for the mining sector. “We need to create a service hub for Region Seven,” Ali said, while noting that the region must be able to produce its own food, and make critical social and other services available to citizens.

The Head of State revealed that in the area of education, he said that the sector will benefit from major improvement and expansion to ensure the students have access to quality education as those on the Coast. Ali made the announcements following a brief visit to several schools on his way to the meeting, are a new walkway and drainage structure for Precious Gem Nursery school, and furniture and chalkboards for St. John the Baptist.

President Ali disclosed that Future Builders Nursery will also benefit from an expansion of the school’s kitchen, while Two Mile Secondary will benefit from a similar intervention. He disclosed that a full -fledged training institution will be established in the township where persons can have access to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

“This region must be a focal point for technical education… we will engage the miners to support the establishment of the training centre,” Ali explained. The president promised further, that an assessment will be done by the Agriculture Ministry to expand the shade house programme in schools within Bartica.

Meanwhile, he noted that the health facilities will be upgraded with the Bartica Regional Hospital slated for major upgrades.  Training opportunities will also be provided for healthcare workers, President Ali said. “We are investing to ensure that all of our children must have access to quality education. Our children in this region must have access to quality education and quality healthcare. Those are two fundamental pillars on which the transformation of our country will be built on.” he reiterated.

Further, the president mentioned the need to transform the Bartica airstrip at Five Miles into a municipal airport to boost tourism and other sectors. Ali told the residents that the government will deliver on every single promise it made in its manifesto in the context of ‘One Guyana.

President Ali was accompanied by a team of cabinet members including Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister, Gail Teixeira, Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, and Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton, Technical officers from the various ministries and agencies were also on the ground addressing issues.