Chinese information and communication technology solutions provider company Huawei is currently seeking persons to fill some critical positions as the company commences a new phase of its work on Guyana’s broadband platform. The company in an advertisement said it is seeking wireless engineers, site engineers for civil works, core engineer, transmission network engineers, datacom engineers, data centre engineers, contract manager and driver among other positions. The positions advertised for number 23.
Huawei had won a government contract to run a fibre-optic line from Brazil to Georgetown. This line, which ended up at the National Intelligence Unit building in the Castellani compound, is meant to be the backbone of the government’s broadband network empowering e-governance and a whole host of other services. A source close to the project told this newspaper that when the fibre-optic cable from Brazil is laid and ready, Huawei would commence the next phase of the project by redistributing the broadband signals to communities along the East Coast and East Bank Demerara.
In March last year, the local branch of Transparency International called on the Auditor General to investigate whether the government’s use of Huawei’s US$50,000 “thank you gift” was in line with the rules governing public expenditure.
The body had questioned government’s single-sourcing of the contract to lay the fibre optic cable to the Chinese company and called on the government to publicly address questions about the contract and the “gift”.
Noting that the government has not denied the allegations, the body said it was “concerned that gifts of this nature are inappropriate particularly in circumstances where there has been single sourcing procurement for the supply of goods and services. Not only does it raise questions on the procurement process but also questions of ethics and good governance which can result in the erosion of public confidence in the government.”
