Marcelle Thomas

Guyana’s burgeoning oil revenues and robust forecasts of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth have resulted in the European Union (EU) making the decision to decrease  funding to the country.

Promising the creation of some 50,000 jobs by 2025 when he campaigned for the Presidency in 2020, President Irfaan Ali yesterday said that he believes the figure will be long surpassed before that time and he said that a comprehensive national development plan is being worked on.

President Irfaan Ali yesterday commissioned the rehabilitated Burnham Boulevard in Mocha Arcadia and pledged support for a series of improvements including repairs to the Barnwell Road, an announcement greeted with broad approval from residents.

As it awaits licensing by regulators here, the Ghanaian-headquartered Fintech company – Ezeepay – has announced that it will be establishing a presence here and has already advertised for management positions.

Officials of ANSA McAL Guyana, the Trinidad-based conglomerate that won the contract to provide taxi services to the Marriott Hotel, think it’s unfair for it to be branded foreign, given that its local workforce is 100% Guyanese and it has been that way for the thirty years it has operated here.

Even as the government remains mum on the reasons for the decision, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has invited persons to invest in some 25 per cent of the corporation’s lands to plant sugar cane and supply it to their Albion, Blairmont, Rose Hall, and Uitvlugt estates, according to a request for Expressions of Interest.

A Trinidadian company has won the contract to provide transportation services for the Marriott Hotel and some local taxi drivers who are being let go are crying foul.

Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and the government on Friday signed an agreement that would see the establishment of a US$15m milk plant following positive results from a feasibility study the company had conducted.

Hailing Scotiabank’s support for his $300 million Andrews Supermarket investment, businessman Saiku Andrews yesterday urged aspiring entrepreneurs to not be discouraged by perceived stereotypes, even as the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) bemoaned the dearth of financing for businesses.

Even as the United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi Ports (ADP) continues compiling technical information on a deep water facility at Berbice, government has also received a proposal from a group of locals and has put Canadian company, CGX Energy Inc on notice to stick to its promised September timeline for a plan.

The Beterverwagting/Triumph Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) is moving ahead to repay John Fernandes Limited (JFL), the monies it had lodged as a deposit for 143 acres of land being sold for $35 million, even as the company yesterday issued a public notification that it was no longer interested in or associated with the deal.

Guyana’s gas to shore project, geared at reducing the current carbon footprint while preparing for eventual transition to green energies, could only be deemed successful if it is matched to sustainability commitments made, says University of the West Indies Professor, Dr.

Following correspondence from an entity which claimed that it had been authorized to take over all rights from John Fernandes Limited (JFL) regarding a collapsed $35m deal for 143 acres of land, the Beterverwagting/Triumph NDC last week wrote to JFL seeking a meeting to thrash out the issue.

President Irfaan Ali yesterday implored Guyanese to dare to dream and act on futuristic developments as he took part in the sod turning for the US$50 million, 150-room, AC Marriott Hotel at Ogle, an area of former sugar estate lands on the East Coast of Demerara that he says will be soon unrecognisable. 

Alliance for Change (AFC) General Secretary David Patterson has signaled his readiness to contest to be leader of the party if nominated.

Nearly 22 months after it took office, the PPP/C Government yesterday finally signed a deal to audit a whopping US$9b in expenses claimed by ExxonMobil and its partners  which could help to establish whether this country is receiving all of the oil profits it should.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday said that it is not currently pursuing challenging Guyana’s local content laws but rather, is trying to understand how both nations can collectively benefit from the resources in the sector.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in his remarks to regional leaders on the expectations of meeting the 20 by 2025 food reduction target, cautioned that it could fail, as did his 2005 agricultural initiative, if an integrated, swift approach doesn’t start immediately, given that there are only two and half years to go and over US$7.5 billion in investments would need to be raised.

Less talk and more tangible work towards realistically achievable targets is what is needed if the region is to meet its ‘25 per cent by 2025’ food import reduction bill, President Irfaan Ali yesterday declared as he laid out plans this country has and recommendations for the region.

-limestone to be imported for soil A trial cultivation of soya beans in the Berbice intermediate savannahs has found it “very feasible” since two crops per year are possible as opposed to only one in northern Brazil and it is expected to result in a seven per cent reduction in the import of the crop for stock feed this year, local investor and businessman David Fernandes says.