IMF Executive Board commends
Guyana’s economic performance
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) has praised the Guyana
government for its continued efforts to sustain and improve the country’s
economy.
In its February 20, 2008 report, the directors commended
the Guyana authorities for a second
consecutive year of strong real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. They also
welcomed the government’s commitment to sound macroeconomic and structural
policies, as evident by the perseverance with adjustment and reform and the
cautious use of external financing.
The directors noted that this commitment is crucial to the
diversification of the economy, reducing vulnerability to commodity price and
other external shocks, and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
It was posited by the directors that the real effective
exchange rate is largely in balance and that the authorities' macroeconomic
policies are consistent with external stability.
The directors believe that while the current exchange rate
regime has served Guyana well, a
gradual move to a more flexible exchange rate, and in the context of a fully
operational inter-bank foreign exchange market, could help cushion the economy
from external shocks.
In welcoming the progress achieved in strengthening the
public finances, the directors also commended government for the successful
implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) and the authority’s determination to
preserve spending discipline.
In addition, the IMF officials encouraged the authorities
to continue their efforts to reach agreement with creditors that have yet to
provide debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative.
The administration received support from the directors in
relation to reducing the fiscal deficit in the medium-term which will be
consistent with long-term debt sustainability. They noted that this will require
further improvements in tax administration, control of non-priority spending,
and a strengthening of the financial condition of public enterprises.
Government’s forthcoming Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
which will guide its medium-term expenditure plans also received commendation.
In 2007, economic performance was strong for a second
consecutive year. Real GDP growth was estimated at about 5.5 percent and is
projected to remain robust at 4.8 percent.
Takutu
Bridge
key to hinterland tourism
The Takutu Bridge linking Guyana with its southern
neighbour Brazil is nearing completion, and speculation is rife as to the wealth
of tourism opportunities it will bring the Rupununi district (Region Nine)
seeing as it will serve as a main artery for the entire Guiana Shield.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram
Prashad, who was in the area recently to check on the bridge’s progress noted:
“This bridge is a tremendous boost for tourism. We are part of the Amazon, and
we will be promoting Amazon tourism.”
Further, he sees the completion of the bridge as
complementing the development of corridors through Linden,
Berbice, over to Suriname and into French Guiana, ending in Amapa
in north-east Brazil.
The bridge, which is being built across the
Takutu River, will offer easy access to Guyana from the entire South
America. Overland trips will become easier to tourists from Guyana to Brazil,
Venezuela,
Columbia,
Peru and Ecuador.
Construction of the 14-metre wide bridge is being funded
by the Brazilian Government.
A building to accommodate the Customs and Immigration
offices which are required at a port of entry has already been established.
The important link that the
Takutu Bridge will provide will aid in moving
the country’s tourism progress at a much faster rate. The tourism potential of
the Rupununi region can now be realised since the Kanuku and Pakaraima Mountains,
the sprawling savannahs, the waterfalls and the flora and fauna of the area,
will now have the attention they deserve.
Guyana
praised for people investment policy
Guyana
came in for high praise on March 26 from United States Assistant Secretary of
State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Mr. Thomas Shannon for the advances it has
been making with regard to seeing to the needs of the vulnerable in the country.
Addressing the issue of the Millennium Challenge Threshold
Programme during a joint press conference with President Bharrat Jagdeo at the
Office of the President, Shannon said what Guyana has accomplished is indicative
of the kind of advances it is making in the very important area of people
investment.
“What we have learnt over time is that for democracies to
be successful, they must deliver the goods and benefits and services to the
poor, the most vulnerable members of society, and to do that they have to invest
in their own people and we are seeing that here in
Guyana,”
Shannon said.
He added: “We want to find a way to help the Government of
Guyana to meet these very important demands and challenges and so we look
forward to advancing the threshold programme with an eye towards successfully
completing the compact.”
Accompanying Shannon during the visit to
Guyana
to hold talks with the Guyanese leader was United States Navy Commander of the
US Southern Command, Admiral James Stravridis.
In relation to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR) programme, Shannon noted Guyana’s success
in dealing with HIV/AIDS.
“Guyana has done a spectacular job and has
established itself as a source of best practices in important areas such as
supply chain management and prevention of mother-to-child transmission and Guyana is to be congratulated for that, and so we
are very proud to be working with Guyana on such an important issue,”
he said.
ERC research highlights alleged African marginalisation
Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), Bishop
Juan Edghill, on March 27 handed over its research results and the 2007 annual
report to Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Ralph Ramkarran.
The researched compilation was the result of ERC
consultation with the African Guyanese community, between November 13 and 16,
2007, to ascertain their perceived needs.
Edghill said some of the concerns surrounded alleged
marginalisation of the group, underdevelopment of their villages and the
necessity for recognition of the Rastafarian community as a religious and
cultural group. There were also claims that the African Guyanese community is
marginalised in areas of land, finance, indigenous religion and culture.
According to Edghill, it was argued that, because of the
education system at schools in the African Guyanese community, the children are
not properly educated, due to the lack of competent and qualified teachers.
He observed that while competent African Guyanese teachers
are appointed to teach in East Indian communities, East Indians are not teaching
at schools in African Guyanese communities.
Edghill said there was also a call for a revitalisation of
African Guyanese villages where there is claimed obvious degradation, notably
between Georgetown
to Parika and Georgetown
to Rosignol.
He said another complaint was that National Communications
Network (NCN) refused to broadcast African related programmes and that it is
derogatory and insulting to refer to African descendants as “Negroes”.
Edghill said the ERC was told that neither it nor the
Government can organise the African Guyanese community, as that population has
to follow rules and guidelines not suitable to them and those who should
represent them have not done so.
“Grow More Food” campaign launched
Agriculture Minister Mr. Robert Persaud on March 31
declared that rising prices for food internationally has resulted in
unprecedented demand on Guyana
to supply food to the Caribbean region, and as such Guyana must accept the challenge of
fulfilling this demand.
The minister made this disclosure during the formal launch
of a major new initiative, “Grow More Food” campaign, which took place at the
Ministry of Agriculture in Georgetown.
This initiative by the ministry is in collaboration with
the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC). The campaign, which will target the
entire country, will not only be production oriented but market led.
The NGMC is tasked to work with other departments and
agencies in the ministry to lead the effort.
The campaign is part of a US$20 million agricultural
diversification programme.
Government continues to advocate the importance of growing
more local produce as this has become an even more significant issue for the
sustainability of food supply in the regions and in dealing with the rising cost
of food prices.
Among areas of benefit in this new initiative area will be
an increase of Guyana’s export
growth rate; the establishment of services and institutions for a sustainable
increase in the income derived from the export of non-traditional agricultural
exports; and the support of institutional arrangements for promoting and
managing the agricultural diversification strategy.
Persaud added that the rising price for food
internationally has resulted in an unprecedented demand on
Guyana
to produce more.
This he attributed to the report on the United Nations
Food and Agricultural Organisation which stated that food prices increased by 40
percent last year.
Cold storage facility at Timehri
Guyana
will have its first modern cold-storage facility at the main port of entry, the Cheddi Jagan
International
Airport, Timehri following a joint venture by the Governments of
Guyana and the United States
and the Laparkan Group of Companies.
The facility, located nearby the Timehri Fire Station, was
completed at a cost of $100 million under President Bush’s Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief and a contribution of US$40,000 from Laparkan, which included the
shipment of all five containers to
Guyana.
The facility comprises the five storage containers, with
one of them dedicated to the storage of health products such as medicines and
vaccines. The vaccines must be stored separately from other health items as part
of international regulations.
Improved performance in January 2008 CSEC Examinations
The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has reported an
improved performance of candidates in the January 2008 sitting of the Caribbean
Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations when compared with 2007.
This year, 57 percent of the entries achieved Grades I to
III, compared with 51 percent of entries in 2007.
Office Administration and Social Studies were the two
subjects with the best performance with 84 percent and 81 percent of the entries
achieving Grades I to III respectively.
In both cases the performance was an improvement over 2007
when 75 percent and 71 percent of entries achieved Grades I to III respectively.
Human and Social Biology, recorded a significant
improvement in performance this year, the third time the subject was being
offered at the January sitting.
Seventy-nine percent of the entries achieved Grades I to
III compared with 46 percent in 2007.
Last year’s trend of improved performances in all three
Science subjects continued this year. Performance in Biology increased from 66
percent in 2007 to 68 percent; Chemistry recorded a two percent improvement,
from 53 percent to 55 percent; and performance in Physics improved from 55
percent last year to 63 this year.
Both English and Mathematics recorded improved performance
this year.
Performance in Mathematics improved from 43 percent last
year to 56 percent this year, while performance in English moved from 43 percent
last year to 49 percent this year.
Subject entries and candidates’ entries declined slightly
this year when compared with 2007. A total of 40,567 subject entries were
received this year compared with 40,705 in 2007, while 24,311 candidates
registered for the examinations this year compared with 24,833 in 2007.
The subjects with the largest entries were Mathematics –
14,209; English A – 13,702; Principles of Business – 2,232; Social Studies 2,230
and Human and Social Biology 2,143 entries.
Twelve subjects were offered in the January sitting;
eleven at General Proficiency and one at Technical Proficiency, according to a
statement from CXC.
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Government assists in cushioning rising prices for
agricultural inputs
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud assured farmers in
Essequibo
that government is taking several initiatives to assist cushioning the effects
of the rising cost of fuel and fertiliser on the world market.
He gave this assurance during a visit on March 30 to
launch the regional “Grow More Food” campaign at Charity.
He reminded farmers of the announcement made on March 28
to remove the excise tax on diesel. He said the impact of this initiative would
be felt soon.
Additionally the government, through the Rice Producers
Association (RPA), is seeking alternative sources for fertiliser that could be
acquired at a cheaper cost. The plan, he said, is to reduce input cost in order
to maximise production.
Government is making investments in the region in drainage
and irrigation works and at present over $700 million is being spent to improve
the systems throughout the Essequibo Coast.
The Minister disclosed that there is an increase in demand
for agricultural products from Guyana. He cited
export figures from last year with showed that exports in all agricultural
products from Guyana
(except sugar) had increased by between 20 to 30 percent.
48,000 more coastland residents to benefit from improved
water supply
Some 48,000 residents in Regions Two, Three and Five are
to benefit from improved water supplies, when the laying of transmission mains
are completed under the Water Sector Consolidation Project valued at G$500
million.
The project is divided into three lots. The first lot
which costs $224 million involves the installation of 18.6 kilometre
transmission mains and a number of zone meters from Walton Hall to Queenstown on
the Essequibo Coast.
Another lot totals about $63 million for the installation
of three kilometres transmission mains and several zone meters from Iverness to
Shieldstown on the West Coast Berbice.
The third lot, valued $191.5 million, covers the
installation of 17 kilometres transmission mains and installation of several
zone meters from De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara, to St. Lawrence, East Bank
Essequibo.
On January 29 this year, Guyana Water Inc. signed a US$6.8
million contract for the construction of three water treatment plants at
Lima (Essequibo Coast), Vergenogen (East Bank Essequibo)
and Cotton Tree (West Coast Berbice). The plants are expected to be completed in
August next year.
The project which is jointly funded by the World Bank and
the Government of Guyana is aimed at improving the level of services and the
supply of treated water. It will benefit some 48,000 inhabitants of 64 villages
in various sections of the coastland.
Security Sector Reform Action Plan moves apace
Twenty-six Police officers from the various Police
divisions have completed the first training programme under the British funded
Security Sector Reform Action Plan (SSRAP).
The training was facilitated by Mr. Tod O'Brien, a
consultant from the British government’s National Policing Improvement Agency.
Participants for the seminar were drawn from the Guyana
Police Force Operations Room at Brickdam, “B” Division (Berbice), “C” Division
(East Coast Demerara), “D” Division (West Demerara), “E” Division (Linden),
“G” Division (Essequibo) and the Force Control
Unit at Eve Leary.
Computers are being installed at the Brickdam Operations
Room and very soon it is envisaged that a public education campaign will be
launched to educate persons on the importance of the 911 police emergency
telephone number.
Present for the closing was Commander of “A” Division
Assistant Commissioner Welton Trotz who expressed appreciation on behalf of the
entire Police Force for the training and equipment provided.
Agreement on Parliamentary
Committee on National Security
National stakeholders on March 12 agreed to the urgent
setting up of a Parliamentary Committee on National Security and for civil
society participation in this and other parliamentary processes.
The agreement for the setting up of the Parliamentary
Standing Sectoral Committee on national security with ministerial representation
was one of five agreements reached when stakeholders met at the Office of the
President to follow-up on their February 27 meeting.
The meeting, chaired by President Bharrat Jagdeo, was
attended by representatives of the government, the joint services, the
parliamentary political parties, the private sector, labour organisations, the
legal profession, women organisations, Amerindian organisations, the Citizens
Initiative, the Guyana Human Rights Association, the Inter-Religious
Organisation, Christian, Hindu, Muslim bodies and the Indian Arrival Committee.
The national stakeholders’ meeting was convened following
massacres at Lusignan and Bartica which left 23 persons dead.
The stakeholders reiterated their support for the joint
services’ efforts to address the recent escalation of crime, and agreed that the
rule of law and the constitutional rights of all citizens must be respected.
Construction of modern US$4M lab on schedule
Construction of the modern US$4 million National Reference
Laboratory in Guyana is on
schedule with completion slated for June 2008.
At the end of the project the three-story building will
house the laboratory as well as the Genito Urinary Medicine (GUM) Clinic and,
hopefully, serve as a hub for the Caribbean.
The laboratory is being constructed with funding from the
United States Government under President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
at Thomas and New Market Streets,
Georgetown.
Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy acknowledged that
the laboratory will not have the capacity to conduct every test necessary,
particularly those that are not cost effective, and for these
Guyana would continue to rely on the Center for Disease
Control in the USA.
However, he noted that it will certainly improve the array
of services being offered at present by the
Georgetown
Public
Hospital
laboratory.
Among these improved capacities would be the ability to
determine the common types of poisons used in murder cases.
He further explained that the National Reference
Laboratory will be a lead facility for the network of laboratories, including
the Food and Drug Laboratory at the Ministry of Health.
Commenting on the staffing needs, Minister Ramsammy said
the actual laboratory work requires about 30 to 40 persons to work under a
management team of skilled persons.
“We recognise that for a laboratory at the level we are
talking about we don’t have persons in country with the experience, and so
whilst the construction is being competed, we will provide training and exposure
to these individuals,” he said.
Guyana’s
birdwatching trip a success
Eagle Eye Tours, a Canadian tour operator that specialises in
worldwide birdwatching trips, recently completed its first group tour to Guyana.
The tour that took place from January 10-20 was added to
the company’s roster of destinations after co-owner and tour guide, Richard
Knapton, came to Guyana as part of a birdwatching product familiarisation trip
sponsored by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID)/Guyana Trade and Investment Support (GTIS)
project, the Birding Tourism Programme.
The North American participants spent eleven days in
Guyana, with birdwatching stops at
Georgetown Botanical Gardens, Iwokrama Field Station, Iwokrama
Canopy Walkway, Surama Village, Rock View Lodge,
Wowetta
Village, Karanambu Ranch, Kaieteur Falls and Shanklands Rainforest Resort.
Reflecting on the recent trip, Knapton said that
Guyana
may not have the same number of species as other South American countries such
as Ecuador and Peru, but “there are superlative groups of birds
in Guyana,
with standouts like the cock-of-the-rock and harpy eagle.”
Knapton also added that many birdwatchers want to see
Guiana Shield species, and this makes
Guyana
a highly competitive birding destination.
Knapton also pointed out that many were pleased to see
such healthy populations of macaws in the interior, as “it’s an indication of
pristine forest that is unfragmented.” Continuing on this note, Knapton added
that, “One of the real beauties of Guyana is to fly
south over the forest and see it unbroken from horizon to horizon.”
Investors to pay for ecosystem service – Iwokrama to
benefit
An agreement announced in
New York
in March at the world's first Biodiversity and Finance Conference now “opens the
way for financial markets to price the 'utility value' of rainforests.”
The deal is the first step in keeping with President
Bharrat Jagdeo's visionary approach to safeguarding
Guyana's forests.
The transaction between Iwokrama and the Canopy Capital
pioneers the use of risk capital to safeguard such services within the Iwokrama
reserve in Guyana. The
Iwokrama forest reserve, which comprises one million acres of pristine
rainforest located at the heart of the Guiana Shield, was donated to the
Commonwealth for sustainable forest management in 1989. It is one of the only
four intact rainforests remaining in the world.
Emphasising that forests do much more than just store
carbon, an Iwokrama statement urged that “we should move beyond emissions-based
trading to measure and place a value on all the services they provide.”
It added that the initiative fits perfectly with
Iwokrama's original mandate, which is to demonstrate that conservation,
environmental balance and sustainable economic activity can be mutually
reinforcing.
"It also ensures, with the Commonwealth's support for
Iwokrama, that the world hears a knowledgeable and persuasive voice on a matter
of growing international concern," stated Iwokrama's Chairman, Edward Glover.
Iwokrama has noted that the forests of the Guiana Shield
generate rainfall that services the production of agricultural commodities
throughout northern Latin America and the southern
Caribbean.
"The deal drawn up by international law firm Stephenson
Harwood comes in the wake of a pivotal year for the fate of forests. The
contribution of deforestation to runaway climate change has been recognised
internationally and new measures to conserve forests are set to be included in a
post-Kyoto framework after 2012," Iwokrama explained.
The deal was announced by Canopy Capital Director Andrew
Mitchell who said, "The decision on forests at December's United Nations
conference in Bali is a major step in tackling climate change, but it fails to
reward countries such as Guyana that aren't cutting their forests."
Iwokrama disclosed that “the deal creates an investment
template for first movers in an emerging market for eco-system services. Such a
market could generate billions of dollars for developing nations, making it more
valuable to keep their forests standing than to cut them down.”
According to Iwokrama, funds already secured from Canopy
Capital will be used to continue management of the forest in accordance with its
philosophy of conservation through sustainable best practice. It will provide
livelihoods and business partnerships for 7,000 people living in the forest and
surrounding area.
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