President, Dr. Irfaan Ali declared on Tuesday that his government will work along with the Private Sector Commission (PSC) to develop the needed policies and programmes aimed at giving women and young people more opportunities to own their own businesses.
The Head of State, who addressed the 31st Annual General Meeting at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown said that his government remains committed to creating opportunities for the growth and development of all Guyanese.
The President also noted that if the country’s economic issues are to be solved, then it is necessary that the PSC, the Government and other stakeholders work “hand-in-hand” and forge partnerships to “address extant and future challenges to our economy and the well-being of our citizens”.
He was also keen to note that the pace of the massive transformational projects in the country has resulted in the shortage of both skilled and unskilled labour.
Ali said, “Upon assuming office we took steps to begin to train persons, but clearly now the rate of development has outstripped the rate of new skilled entrants into the labour market. We are actively addressing this issue.”
Over the long-term and as the economy grows further, he said it is critical that stakeholders look towards the importation of skilled labour. “Our population is much too small to sustain an economy which has tripled in size in recent years. The issue of skilled labour has to be further discussed with both the private sector and labour as a matter of urgency,” the official said.
As his government works to address labour issues, he assured that efforts will remain ongoing to ensure world-class systems are in place to complement the progressive pathway the country is on.
He said, “We will build a Guyana that is second to none. We will build a Guyana that will provide global leadership in a world 2030 and beyond that is called the 2030 Agenda.
“You will be part of a country that will be a leader in climate change. You will be part of a country that will be a leader in energy security, and you will be part of a country that will be a leader in food security.”
The Head of State concluded, “There is no second guessing this.”
