Residents of Mabaruma, Region One were yesterday promised by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, that they will no longer have to travel to Georgetown or the Essequibo Coast to access services from the Deeds and Commercial Registry office.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) said that Nandlall informed residents of the township in a government outreach that his government will be establishing an office which will be housed within the Regional Democratic Council’s building.
“This service has never been extended to this region before. This is the first time in Guyana that the Deeds and Commercial Registry is having or will be having a presence here…We will establish an office here permanently,” DPI quoted the AG as saying. The new office will allow residents to register businesses, file property deeds, and access ownership records – without leaving Mabaruma, said DPI. It will also streamline business processes and potentially attract new entrepreneurs to the region.
According to DPI, Nandlall’s announcement was met with “great relief and excitement”. For Claudette Wong, the new office will ease the financially burdened who would not be able to travel to Georgetown to access these services. “It is good because [some of us] don’t have that money all the time to go to Georgetown and come back. I am glad that they are bringing it here because it would be very convenient for the people here in Mabaruma,” she told DPI. Another resident, Yonette Linguise, also expressed excitement at the announcement, enthusing to DPI that, “It’s a very good idea to bring them here because we wouldn’t have to travel to Georgetown, and we could get it done right here in the region.”
Like Linguise, Lloyd Cameron believes that this is a step in the right direction for Region One. He told DPI that the move will also expand economic growth there. “This is something [we have] been looking for, for a long time. It will help because people wouldn’t have to go to renew their papers and documents in town…Having it nearby will be good and it will also bring revenue,” Cameron said. Hosororo resident, Mary Brown said that she knew very little about registering her business before the attorney general’s outreach. According to her, an office in the region would significantly help to educate the public on the services offered by the Deeds and Commercial Registry. “I think it’s a good idea because, like me, there are a lot of persons who have to come from very far and remote areas, so it will be beneficial for us to be able to come right here to Mabaruma, and it will help persons to know more about the registration,” she stated.
DPI said that residents can look forward to even greater ease in conducting business with the upcoming implementation of card payments through the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI). Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley said that the combined developments will revolutionise how business is conducted in Region One.
“The government, led by President Ali, promised the people that they would bridge the gap between the coast and the hinterland regions. With the Deeds and Commercial Registry coming to the region, and now that GBTI is envisioning bringing the cashless payment system here, that would be a move in the right direction for the people of Region One,” the chairman said.
DPI said that government also plans to open offices in townships countrywide, including Bartica (Region Seven), Mahdia (Region Eight), Lethem (Region Nine), and Linden (Region Ten).
