Heavy focus on community investment in 2025 – Pres Ali to EBD residents

As the government of Guyana works aggressively to ensure the demands of all citizens are met, Head of state President Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday called for increased community investments.

The head of state made this call during a community outreach with residents from Friendship and Garden of Eden on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) on Tuesday.

President Ali highlighted that over the past four years, the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPC) administration has been engaging with communities across the country in a bid to address health and education issues among others.

“Over the last four years, we’ve been engaging communities, engaging citizens, and engaging people on the priorities within your communities because we believe in building in conjunction with the people. And we have been addressing many issues across the country. You know, we have been addressing health, education, women, children’s issues in this locality alone within this NDC.”

On this point, the Head of State revealed that a request was made for more emphasis to be placed on community investments this year.

“So, as we continue this story of building our country, putting infrastructure in, creating wealth, building prosperity, working towards the development of communities and families and individuals, we know that there will be issues and challenges that you want to raise also.”

President Ali added, “so, in this year, 2025 I’ve asked the minister of finance to focus heavily on community investment. So let us, in this year, focus on further strengthening communities, empowering communities, giving communities more resources, making more resources available at a community level so that we can fix those little issues.”

According to the head of state, by taking this approach several common community issues such as security, infrastructure and sanitation can be effectively addressed.

“For example, in our outreaches in the last six to eight weeks, there are some common challenges that communities would have raised with us. Community security, which includes community lighting, outposts, things like this… Sanitation, community centers, these are the new issues that are emerging. And that is how development is…So as the development piece is so incredible, it is important that we continuously listen for the feedback and listen to the new areas that may be affecting people in the community.”

Additionally, President Ali revealed that his administration will continue to work and identify ways in which it can improve its service delivery to Guyanese citizens.

“And that is important for us as we go forward. How are we going to build greater efficiency in the delivery of government services? How are we going to improve the quality of government service? That is where we are now positioning the government. In a way in which we can improve government efficiency and bring greater quality to the delivery of government service.”

The head of State was accompanied by Minister with the Housing Ministry, Susan Rodrigues; Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Barrat, and Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar along with representatives of various government agencies including Guyana Power and Light (GPL), National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) among others.