Over 4000 jobs to be created with industrialisation of ECD corridor – Jagdeo

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is undertaking a series of initiatives that will see the creation of more than 4000 job opportunities along the East Coast Demerara (ECD) corridor over the coming years.

This is according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during a recent interview with a social media commentator.

With the closure of the Enmore Estate back in 2017 under the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration, hundreds of sugar workers from Enmore and surrounding communities along the East Coast corridor were placed on the breadline, like other displaced Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) workers from the Wales, Albion and Skeldon Estates that were also shut down by the coalition regime.

Since it was in the Opposition, the PPP/C had promised to reopen those estates and revive the sugar industry to its once-thriving status. However, upon the PPP/C assuming office in August 2020, it was discovered that the condition of some of the estates, such as Wales, was too deteriorated to reopen.

As such, the Dr Irfaan Ali-led Government has since been undertaking several initiatives to create employment opportunities at those estates that cannot be revived to produce sugar.
According to Jagdeo, these initiatives are being carried out in a “studied way” to not only create jobs but also develop those communities that were devastated owing to the closure of the estates.

In fact, at the Enmore Estate, Jagdeo explained that the Government has allocated a 10-acre plot of land for development that will generate between 500 and 700 jobs in Enmore and surrounding areas.

This, he noted, coupled with the recent agreement signed with Guysons K+B Industries Inc (GKB), which will transform the Enmore Packaging Plant into a modern oilfield service centre and manufacturing facility, will see even more retrenched workers being hired.

“So, that can take care of a lot of the employment from displaced sugar workers but … [also] others in the areas between just these two facilities in Enmore,” the Vice President said.

Additionally, Jagdeo pointed out that Government has also budgeted monies to build an industrial estate in the Enmore-Foulis area that would not only benefit the displaced sugar workers but also other citizens along the East Coast corridor.

“So, these three initiatives alone will generate, we believe, close to 4000 jobs on the East Coast… So that is what we intended to do at Enmore to generate employment,” VP Jagdeo outlined.

At the announcement of the transformation of the Packaging Plant last month, President Ali further revealed that several new initiatives were in the pipeline that will result in the creation of more jobs as well as the opportunity for growth and development in communities.

“We have another announcement that is coming from a Surinamese-Guyanese company that will create a few hundreds of jobs also, eventually going up to 1500 jobs along the East Coast corridor; that deals with processing, manufacturing, beverage production, and that is also coming on stream,” the Head of State had indicated.

Meanwhile, as part of the agreement for the establishment of the Enmore manufacturing facility that will cater to the oil and gas sector, GKB Industries will have to retain all the workers of the Packaging Plant and conduct training so that they can be absorbed into the new operations – and the workers have lauded this.

In addition, the Government will be giving the workers a two-month bonus to assist them during the transition period.

GKB Industries has committed to invest in the people of the East Coast corridor, investing an “unmatched” US$37.5 million (G$7.5 billion) to establish the state-of-the-art oilfield service facility.

The Packaging Plant is approximately 100,000 square feet and its transformation would take an estimated 18 to 24 months. GKB said the Packaging Plant could be repurposed and become operational, almost immediately, preserving jobs currently held at the Plant, with a guarantee of 150 employees by the end of the first year and 500 in five years.

According to the company, a minimum of 50 acres of land is required to effectively deliver OCTG (oil country tubular goods) and Premium Accessory Services to the local oil and gas sector. These services are currently being outsourced to Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, and other countries.

“We have committed to rehiring 100 per cent of the workers currently employed at the Enmore Packaging Plant. We will see to it that our expansion uplifts economically-depressed communities of the East Coast Corridor with sustainable jobs which will serve as a revitalising lifeline for its youth and laid-off sugar workers… The capacity building and job creation potential of this project and its spillover effects cannot be understated.,” the company said in a recent missive.

It further noted that it has agreed to strict land development timelines and milestones over the first three years that will be monitored as the phased development occurs.