— Slew of transformative initiatives across all sectors for Berbice
Georgetown, Guyana—(November 22, 2025) His Excellency President Dr Irfaan Ali said that the recently concluded Cabinet outreach to Region Six (East Berbice‑Corentyne) confirms that citizens and communities are benefitting tremendously from his Government’s investments through its people‑ and community‑centred approach.
The Head of State updated the media through a hybrid press conference, held physically on the lawns of the Albion Estate compound and via the digital platform Zoom on Friday afternoon.
He noted that after completing their analysis of the needs of the residents, “drainage and irrigation are now the lowest ranked priorities for the region, and that is not to say there is still not a lot of work to be done, but that is to say that people are experiencing the results of the investments that we have made, and this is an important aspect of public policy”.
The President said that his Government has noted the change in policy and priority profiles from communities and regions while interacting with citizens through outreaches and other community events. He pointed to areas such as primary healthcare and education, which are no longer as dominant on the list of priorities due to the progressive programmes and investments by the Government.
The President further explained that his Administration has noted new priorities emerging, which include housing, small business opportunities, local government, public works, and human services issues. “What this points to is that our people now are becoming very aligned to the policy agenda of the Government, so issues of home ownership, owning small businesses, owning agricultural land, and expanding agricultural production, quality of service—whether it’s GWI, GPL, health services—these are now the priorities of the people.”
He added that these new priorities from the residents are positioned in a positive manner in relation to their long term national impact and implication for the economic growth and transformation of the region. “This region is going to undergo massive infrastructure, economic, and investment transformation, not only from the gas, but in terms of tourism, in terms of modern infrastructure, healthcare, education, private investment, the Corentyne River bridge, the connection with Orealla and Siparuta by land, investment in education, healthcare, landfill sites, markets, the building out of waterfront facilities—all of this we have been talking about.”
According to the President, priority areas for development in the region will include digitisation, to ensure that all Government services are available in the region; making thousands of acres of land accessible for farming and other activities; regularisation of several areas and resolving land issues; ending the backlog of housing applications in the region through the development and expansion of housing schemes. Other areas include expanding security and social services; rehabilitating and beautifying key facilities including markets; developing an integrated sanitation programme; expanding industrial training; completing the new modern New Amsterdam Hospital and expanding the country’s dialysis programme; continuing and expanding infrastructural and agricultural development; and building out a care economy by investing in facilities at the level of households and communities, among others.
The President added that the development agenda for the region would be amplified to ensure not only the transformation of Berbice, but the transformation of the lives and livelihoods of its residents.