“The country is moving in the right direction.” At least this was the assertion of Dr George Norton, an Executive Member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC), one of the parties that make up the ruling APNU+AFC coalition government.
Dr Norton at a press conference at the party’s Sophia, Georgetown headquarters today said that, under the stewardship of President David Granger, “the country is now moving in the right direction. Under his leadership, gender and social inclusion policies have been implemented to provide equal opportunities for all regardless of race, gender, class, or ethnicity; our economy is growing; our infrastructure is being developed; and people feel safe in their communities.”
Moreover, Dr Norton, who also holds the portfolio of Social Cohesion Minister, said, “The PNCR is proud of the achievements of this government, for what has been accomplished in just four short years is remarkable.”
Among the accomplishments, he said, is the fact that Guyana’s economy grew at 4.1 percent during 2018, hitting an all-time high of $689B. This, the Minister said, is the fastest in the region with the Caribbean and Latin America having an average growth of 2 percent. The government, he added, helped sign over 220 investment agreements in agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, ICT, energy and mining, totalling $250B.
Of this total, he said, “The PNCR is proud that this government, unlike the PPP, has supported young people and dynamic individuals to establish their own businesses through access to a $100 million Revolving Fund.”
Dr Norton further said that around 2,727 loans and grants have been issued through the Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS); Linden Enterprise Network (LEN); Micro and Small-Enterprises Development (MSED); Sustainable Livelihoods and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED); Women of Worth (WOW); and People of Worth Entrepreneurial Resources (POWER) initiatives.
In the first half of 2018, the Minister said too that the Guyana Office for Investment (GOINVEST) assisted 57 projects with an investment value of $10.4B, creating approximately 700 new jobs. The Small Business Bureau helped support over 200 businesses through partial loan guarantees and grants worth around $180M in 2018, creating 535 jobs.
Guyanese, the Minister said, are committed to working towards a unified Guyana and government is committed to working towards sustaining this towards a good life for all.
