The Government of Guyana though the Ministry of Com-munities on Friday began a workshop to develop action plans for the development of the existing six municipalities.
The initiative, which is being completed in collaboration with the Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED), is funded through the Canadian government’s Carib-bean Nations Developmental programme.
CARILED Coordinator Roger Rogers explained to those gathered at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre for the workshop that it was the “beginning of a strategic, long and, in some instances, an arduous process aimed at achieving a sustainable outcome and enhanced opportunities for the residents within municipalities and our country as whole.”
He further explained that the programme’s emphasis is on supporting strong strategic processes, which embrace community involvement for sustainable outcomes.
According to Rogers, specific outputs of the process include the crafting of the action plan for municipal development. This document, he said, “will provide a user-friendly synopsis of the priorities, which emerge from the process, while simultaneously identifying resources, both financial and material, for the successful implementation of its recommendations.”
Another expected outcome is a public relations (PR) strategy designed to convey the “key messages.” This aspect, Rogers noted, is equally important since the project “embraces the involvement of communities and residents at all levels. So, it is important that at the end of the process we are able to convey the outcome of our collective efforts.”
Rogers also explained that it is within the CARILED work programme to provide support to components of both the plan of action for municipal development and components of the PR efforts to convey the outcome of the exercise.
“We are excited and look forward to greater collaborations with the government and the local government body,” he shared.
In his first address to the Guyanese public, Canadian High Commissioner Pierre Giroux said the importance of the Caribbean to Canada’s foreign policy is reflected in the 12-year Caribbean Nations Develop-mental programme. He noted that the vision of the Canadian government is to foster a “prosperous, secure and democratic region.”
In their attempt to achieve this goal, they have focused on several sectors, including the development of effective and accountable public institutions and increasing the productivity of small and medium-size firms.
He explained that CARILED supports discussions and exchanges of best practices and lessons learned so that local governments can better work with their constituencies to contribute to economic development.
According to Giroux, events such as the workshop highlight the priority that the government of Guyana places on local economic development. He stressed that “citizens’ partnership and ownership is fundamental for the success of municipal development plans” and added that the long-term sustainability of today’s work depends on the holding of constitutionally due local government elections.
Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, whose ministry has responsibility for the overall guidance and management of the local democratic organs, noted that the initiative is part and parcel of a series of activities undertaken by the ministry to support all of the local democratic organs, beginning with the Regional Democratic Councils as well as the 71 local democratic organs.
“It is important that that hand of control that existed in relation to our local democratic organs has been removed and has been replaced by a hand of support, a hand of corporation, a hand of collaboration,” he said.
CARILED is a six-year project which helps local governance bodies create a more competitive enabling environment that supports new and existing Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The programme also strengthens the capacity of local authorities to promote job creation and economic results for women and men and an improved governance environment towards local economic growth.
Currently the programme is focusing on communities in regions 2, 3, 4 and 6 as well as the review and updating of the Municipal Development Plans in the six municipalities and the preparation of a plan of action for municipal development.
