The potential, opportunities and challenges inherent in the development of river fronts as an economic opportunity and as a development that will contribute to the building of a viable tourism infrastructure in Guyana will be the focus of a June 30 development forum as part of the broader Linden River Front Festival.
Coordinator Sam Wright told Stabroek Business earlier this week that the aim of the forum was to enable engagement among business and community officials across the country for discourse, to facilitate the presentation of developmental plans and to share strategies for dealing with common challenges facing those communities.
Regional officials and business persons from non-governmental organizations and developmental agencies in Bartica, Charity, Corriverton, Georgetown, Mabaruma and New Amsterdam have been invited to participate. They will be required to make presentations to the forum on the opportunities, challenges, and development plans and strategies in their respective regions within the framework of the development of river front infrastructure.
Stabroek Business understands that British High Commissioner to Guyana Gregg Quinn has accepted an invitation to deliver the feature address at the forum which will focus on tourism potential, infrastructure deficiencies, business and commercial possibilities, environment, waste management and traffic congestion.
Wright said the Linden Mayor and Town Council and the Linden Fund Trust will be the two key players in the planning and execution of the event, a projected outcome of which will be the creation of “a common strategy for river front development and challenges and consultation and sharing of information among river communities.”
The staging of the River Front Development Forum coincides with the opening of the Linden River Front Festival, a commemorative event designed to celebrate Linden’s river/land interface and its role in the development of the community. Wright said the event serves as “an annual confirmation of the value and importance of Linden” as well as “a celebration of all river communities and river folk in Guyana.” He said the events planned for the festival reflect activities that currently occur on the river front. “Branding of the Linden River Front will facilitate a holistic appreciation of its value and foster public ownership and participation in its development and conservation,” Wright said.
