President Ali– Region Two earmarked to become special zone

President Irfaan Ali has outlined a comprehensive development plan for the
Pomeroon/Supenaam (Region Two) with focus on areas such as tourism, security, health,
technology, services, education, agriculture, energy and sports.
He outlined the plan as he delivered the feature address at the official opening of the new $200M
Jaigobin Hotel in Anna Regina. The President noted that government will soon table legislation
that will see Region Two becoming a special development zone. Ali said that government is
investing heavily in fibre optic, and highlighted those negotiations are ongoing to establish call
centres in several regions, including Region Two. This, he said will create 500 jobs in that
region. “ICT is going to be an integral part of the investment platform… We will be creating
learning hubs for the GOAL Scholarship so right here you can complete your degree
programmes.  Before the end of the first term, we promise to deliver free UG education and the
ICT will allow us to do that even faster,” President Ali said.

He stressed that in the area of infrastructure, government will be opening up 10,000 acres of new
land with the construction of more farm- to- market roads in the region. “We are going to
upgrade what we have here… We intend to have every single street in this country lit up so you
can live in a more secure environment,” he explained. President Ali committed to residents that
government will spend every single cent to bring first class primary health care to all Guyanese.
He noted that in the next budget, they can anticipate major developments in the health sector,
which includes a state -of- the- art hospital. The president declared that creating safe
communities countrywide is a manifesto promise the government is working to realise. As such,
residents of Region Two were informed by the President that government will be expanding its
safe city programme to a safe country programme. “Soon you will see CCTV cameras… The
command centre will be located right here in Region Two. It is part of the decentralisation of the
security sector. This means at least 50 young people will have to be trained to man that command
centre,” he told those in attendance.
President Ali also announced that a full-fledged stadium will be constructed in the region, thus
being able to host both regional and international cricket. The structure, he said, will also have an
indoor facility to accommodate other sports such as badminton. President Ali noted that the
Pomeroon/Supenaam region, has tremendous tourism potential. He assured that government is
developing a package that will allow the region to sell its green tourism product. Sport fishing in
the region can also become a major activity, he suggested once it is properly packaged. Ali
issued a call to persons to stop underselling the tourism potential of the region and assured that
once they come with ideas, government will provide support to develop them. He urged farmers
in the region, to rest assure that the government will continue to work on their best interests. Ali
said that negotiations are ongoing on a bilateral level to secure fertilisers which are scarce and
expensive. He told residents that they can also expect a solar farm very soon, which he said will
produce eight megawatts of energy. Added to that, President Ali reiterated that government is
committed to reducing energy cost by 50 per cent. The President noted further that government
will continue to invest heavily in education. He assured that with all the development slated for
the region, the human resources to develop it must come from within.

Meanwhile, Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond also made brief
remarks congratulating the high standard the hotel presents. “I want to laud you for the standard
that you brought into this region. Tourism in Region Two is about to explode…  I can see this
being the base for many tours,” Minister Walrond said. She said that the hotel boasts 35 rooms
and has provided employment for 15 full time staff, in addition to the 72 already employed by
the hotel’s proprietor, Ganesh Jaigobin. Also present at the ceremony were Finance Minister, Dr.
Ashni Singh, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha and the President’s National Security
Advisor, Jerry Gouveia among other Government officials.