Students laud opportunities presented by Youth Forum at 2023 energy conference

THE four-day International Energy Conference and Expo 2023 concluded on Friday last with the hosting of a Youth Engagement Forum.

As the name suggests, the forum saw a number of Guyana’s youth being edified on the opportunities and developments, as well as career prospects that exist in the expanding energy sector.

The forum served to highlight that while government and investors play a major role in growth of the economy, it is also necessary for youth to be aware of the developmental opportunities that await them.

Students of Queen’s College who attended the forum expressed similar thoughts.

“I love when they talk about Guyana having an opportunity for everyone. Not only those who attend Queen’s College, Bishop’s, or those who intend to follow in the techni - cal streams, but everyone. They have opportunities for nurses, doctors, and teachers,”Athea Allicock, a fifth form student, expressed.

Theresa Nascimento, another Queen’s College fifth-former, told the DPI, “The part that most stood out to me was when the second speaker, Ms Hudson, was talking about the opportunities that the energy sector really provided for us, and it’s in different sectors. It’s not only in terms of the technical aspect, it’s also in maritime law, which I am hoping to practise one day.”

The forum featured several keynote speakers who provided valuable insights and perspectives on Guyana’s booming energy industry. It allowed students a chance to learn about the country’s economic growth, challenges in the energy sector, and steps that could be taken to solve these issues. (DPI)

Major city roads to undergo significant upgrades

THE government has advanced plans to upgrade several major roads across Georgetown as part of the overarching objective to significantly transform Guyana’s infrastructural landscape.

According to an advertisement from the Ministry of Public Works, there are invitation for bids for upgrades and rehabilitation of Carifesta Avenue, Homestretch Avenue and Thomas Lands.

There are also plans to enhance Vlissengen Road and the GuySuCo Bulk Terminal Wharf at Ruimveldt.

Over $150 billion has been set aside in Budget 2023 for the advancement of major infrastructural projects across the country.

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh had said recently that the government has been reorie nting the focus of the national budget to invest heavily in the things that matter for long-term economic growth, particularly as it pertains to addressing the country’s infrastructural gap.

“We recognise the importance of seizing the moment to lay the foundation for investment; we see this as the moment to ensure that we address historic infrastructure impediments to long-term economic growth. Notwithstanding emphasis on infrastructure, we are doing all of this in the context where we maintain a disciplined fiscal stance,” Dr Singh related.

The government has done this through a conscious decision to shift expenditure from being heavy on govern- public consumption.

Conversely, the 2023 budget saw a marked shift from consumption towards public investment, with almost half of the $781.9 billion budget, or 49.6 per cent of it, being devoted to public investment.

The budget saw massive increases in key infrastructural sectors such as roads and bridges, housing, and ment consumption of goods and services to a greater focus on government investment in infrastructure.

Putting the foregoing into a statistical context, in 2019, the previous government spent less than a quarter of public expenditure, the equivalent of some 22.7 per cent of it, on public investment, and the remainder on power generation.

In 2019, total investment on roads and bridges through the budget amounted to $11.8 billion, while in 2023, some $131.5 billion was allocated to this area. In the area of housing development, less than $1 billion was spent in 2019, but in the 2023 budget, that area received $53.1 billion.