Perhaps the main challenge facing Bartica at this time is the decision it must make as to whether it will remain a kind of geographic signpost, the gateway to the interior or whether it will make a name for itself as a viable and attractive community.
If its particular economic ‘asset’ reposes in its role as the road to the gold-bearing regions of Guyana, in developmental terms the community has less than what it might have been expected to have to show for it. There is no economic sector that defines Bartica itself and the few modest business enterprises that are located there mostly provide services to the mining sector. Bartica, some of its residents boast, has 20 hotels and guest houses. That says much for its role as a transit point for miners trekking in and out of the interior and as a ‘getaway’ from the monotony of a capital that offers no options beyond the routine.
A decade or more of good gold prices has served some members of the Bartica community well. There are signs that some of the ‘gold money’ has been invested in seemingly affluent lifestyles, but there are also indications of a preparedness to redirect some of those earnings to other economic ventures.
Gold prices may be declining but all is not doom and gloom in the community. Tourism and timber are two of the sectors in which there is talk of investment. There is evidence of new construction in the community and three commercial banks—Republic, Citizens and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI)—have set up branches in Bartica.
Even at perilously close to US$1,000 an ounce, gold remains important to the Bartica economy and while the decline of the Brazilian presence in the community is believed to be a telltale sign that the gold boom is over, some Barticians are still clinging to the sector.
Meanwhile, efforts to create a collective of businessmen and women to chart an economic path for the community has led to the resuscitation of the Bartica Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Budesh Chatterpaul an executive member of the Chamber, told Stabroek Business that there are signs that Barticians have not given up on gold. “Some of the miners are still hanging in,” he said. Regional Chairman Gordon Bradford, while asserting that the fall in gold price had disrupted every aspect of life in Bartica over the past two years, said there is indeed evidence that gold is still regarded as a viable industry. Bradford is backing the lobby being made by the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association for government to grant concessions—including access to cheaper fuel—to miners.
Bradford said Bartica will continue to lobby for a portion of the returns (royalties) paid by foreign mining companies to be assigned to Region Seven for development projects. Chamber President Anthony Murray wants to see moves towards accelerated training for youth through the Board of Industrial Training. The Chamber official is also calling for the setting up of a Technical Institute in Bartica.
The leaders of the community are concerned, but they appear decidedly upbeat about the burst of energy in Bartica arising out of the realization that the community must get past the ‘gold fever.’ Last Saturday, a handful of prominent urban business types including GBTI Chief Executive Officer John Tracey gathered at the venue for the Chamber-organised Bartica Expo. During a brief exchange with Stabroek Business Tracey was emphatic about the importance of the bank’s presence in Bartica.
Bradford is thoughtful on the subject of unemployment. While he says that there have been no reports of job losses, he is keen to see accelerated job creation to make allowances for what may well be challenging times ahead and for which he wants Bartica to be prepared.
