Prime Minister Mark Phillips yesterday said that the International Decade for People of African Descent represents a significant global effort towards achieving racial justice, equality, and empowerment.
According to a release from his office, the Prime Minister made the statement while delivering remarks at a ceremony held yesterday afternoon to present funding to 35 African cultural groups at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
Phillips said that the current Government “is a government for all the people of Guyana…our motto remains one people, one nation, one destiny.”
The groups that received funding had tendered proposals for projects in a number of areas, including agricultural and purchasing of agricultural equipment; business; cultural training in drumming, teaching craft, cooking traditional foods and garment construction among others.
Some groups also committed to work in literacy, women’s empowerment and education in African and Afro-Guyanese history.
Phillips said that “today represents a signal, an important decision to ensure that you the people of African descent, and the organisations that you represent, benefit from the prosperity of this country”.
In addition to ensuring that all Guya-nese benefit from the country’s wealth, the Prime Minister noted that the Government is committed to fulfilling the objective set out in the UN General Assembly resolution 68/237, which proclaimed 2015 to 2024 to be the International Decade for People of African Descent.
The Department of Public Information yesterday said that each group received funding totalling just over $1.8 million for a range of projects.
