Two thousand Guyanese youths are to benefit from the “One Guyana Digital Initiative”, President Irfaan Ali said on Sunday.
The initiative which was unveiled at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal is geared at empowering and developing the skillsets of youths who have completed post-secondary education in information technology.
With this post-secondary education and further academic advancement, the nation’s future leaders will be able to carve careers in the arena of technology, President Ali told those gathered on Sunday.
The initiative falls under the Guyana Online Academy for Learning (GOAL) programme, and once completed, successful persons will be able to work remotely in Guyana for tech companies across the globe.
These individuals would potentially be able to earn between US$25,000 to $75,000 annually.
President Ali commended Canadian Minister of International Develop-ment, Ahmed Hussen for his commitment towards the introduction of the initiative which is now a “reality”.
The President remarked “He [Minister Hussen] said to me in Canada, we can do this and he ensured that all the mechanisms were in place for us to get it done. This is the fastest we have moved from conceptualization to implementation of any programme”.
He informed that of the 2000 youths, 60 per cent are female and 20 per cent are from the hinterland communities.
“If you were to do this programme on your own at the Toronto Metropolitan University, it would have cost each of you 10,000 USD. What that means is that for 2000 of you, the partnership goes beyond the matching grant, because we were able to negotiate a special rate for this programme…The costs would have been US $20 million or GY$4 billion. That is the investment we are making in you”.
He said the government is moving towards digitization and is on the brink of transitioning into a governing system aimed at eliminating bureaucracy and human biases.
“This is coming at a critical time when there is a transformation of the country. We are moving towards digitalization, we are moving towards a system of governance to remove a lot of the bureaucracy because the Govern-ment system must be system-based…”.
The President urged youths to take full advantage of this opportunity.
“Young people, you have an opportunity like never before, it is yours to destroy, it is yours to cherish and it’s yours to accomplish. Many countries would love to have this opportunity. Don’t take it for granted, don’t take the investment, what would have been an investment of $4 billion in your education for granted. Take this seriously,” the head of state emphasized.
Meanwhile, Hussen highlighted the 50-year relationship between Canada and Guyana. He pledged a contribution of CDN$9.5 million to the initiative.
“It will help launch young people into fulfilling careers in the emerging digital skills technology sector. Canada is proud to join forces with you Guyana, with you President Ali on this exciting new initiative,” Hussen stated.
He added “In every country that Canada engages with on these kinds of projects, we emphasize inclusion… making sure that women and girls who are normally left behind are included” he stated, reinforcing the shared values of empowerment and equality.
Managing Director of the One Guyana Digital initiative, Mark Itwaroo said that he has been working assiduously to create a course that is second to none in the field of academia.
Itwaru revealed his intentions of creating a near-shoring industry in Guyana, in the wake of the nation’s nascent oil and gas industry.
He also provided details on the curriculum developed in partnership with the Toronto Metropolitan University.
“This course will teach qualified applicants… cutting-edge programming languages such as Python used for artificial intelligence,” he stated, emphasizing the strategic advantage this would provide Guyanese graduates within the global job market.
He added “This is very important because I want the graduates from Guyana to have a strategic advantage over everybody else when they are competing for jobs internationally,” he said.
With applications open to Guyanese citizens aged 17 and older, persons desirous of accessing the course can register at oneguyanadigital.com.
The President had adverted to this initiative on his return from the Caricom-Canada summit last year October.
