January 25, 2017 Source

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) on Monday delivered a presentation to the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) for possible funding and collaboration on the construction of the Guyana-Brazil Road.

A release from MPI yesterday said that the formal presentation was delivered by Geoffrey Vaughn, Chief Works Officer, who highlighted key components of the project. In his presentation, he noted that, while a road currently exists between Guyana and Brazil, its current standard was not satisfactory. He added that the project would include 454 km of paving from Lethem to Linden since only about 33% is currently paved. Other works would includeimproved drainage via the upgrade of approximately 130 culverts along the identified stretch of road.

Vaughn stressed the importance of linking the Hinterland to the Coastland and added that economic benefits for Brazil were also taken into consideration. He said too that the project would lead to a significant decrease in travelling time between Linden and Lethem.

Following the presentation, the release said that the IsDB shared their positive impression of the project and raised queries. They also shared their recommendations and said that the proposal thus far is more than adequate, the release added.

Another team from IsDB is expected to return to Guyana for further analysis of the project.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, led the Ministry team, which also included Patrick Thompson, Chief Planning and Transport Officer;  Kester Hinds, Senior Project Engineer; and Balraj Balram Permanent Secretary.

The IsDB was represented by Idrissa Dia, Division Manager of Urban Development & Services, and Wahyu Wijayanto, Senior Financial Analyst.

Before the commencement of the presentation, Ferguson said that the bridging of the Hinterland regions to the Coast had significant benefits, including socioeconomic impacts.

In response, Dia said that IsDB was more than happy to demonstrate its support to Guyana. He further said that the partnership could open doors for Guyana to parts of the world where relationships previously didn’t exist, including with African, South Asian and East Asian nations.

“This type of partnership can really open Guyana in terms of economic development, technical expertise, human resources, and exposure to other parts of the world. So, we are very happy to invest where possible,” Dia said.

Guyana became a member of the bank last year and since then there have been visits by officials in relation to project funding.