A President at work, a nation moving forward

Dear Editor,

This month of September marks one year into his Excellency’s renewed mandate entrusted by the vast majority of Guyanese. President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali is presiding over one of the most consequential periods of transformation in Guyana’s modern history, which he is leading with energy, vision and a listening ear.

This assessment of his leadership does not rest on partisan rhetoric. It is measured against the scale of development occurring across the country, the expanding housing and infrastructure, modernisation of healthcare, the significant renewed emphasis on agriculture and food security, the country’s growing tourism and investment, development of our natural resources, and Guyana’s increasingly prominent place in regional and international affairs.^[1]

Editor, what is equally important, however, is that President Ali has demonstrated an understanding that development cannot be measured by physical infrastructure and economic growth alone. It must ultimately translate into a better quality of life and greater opportunities for ordinary Guyanese, and that is significant.

Editor, one of the strongest features of President Ali’s agenda is his insistence that Guyana must not become an economy defined solely by petroleum; its overall development must go beyond oil.

It is in this regard agriculture, tourism, mining, manufacturing, construction, services and human development are being positioned as important pillars of a diversified economy.

The Government’s attentive emphasis on agriculture and food security, agro-processing, technology and youth involvement reflects this approach. Likewise, measures aimed at providing tax relief and incentives to mining, tourism, agriculture and the production and use of local building materials demonstrate an effort to stimulate investment, increase competitiveness and create employment beyond the oil sector.

Housing, roads, bridges and other infrastructure are, meanwhile, transforming Guyana’s physical, and economic landscape. These investments do more than change skylines; they open land, connect communities, facilitate commerce and create new opportunities for families and businesses.

Our healthcare sector is also undergoing significant expansion and modernisation, with investments in hospitals, health centres, technology, diagnostic capacity and specialised services intended to build a system capable of serving a rapidly developing country, which is equally significant on the Government’s agenda.

Further, what is perhaps one of the most consequential aspects of President Ali’s approach is the growing focus on ensuring that Guyanese themselves are equipped to participate in the opportunities being created, investing directly in our people.

Free education, together with the multitude of technical, vocational and skills-training programmes being made available to Guyanese, represents an investment not simply in employment but in national human capital.

President Ali has also recognised one of the persistent obstacles confronting aspiring entrepreneurs is access to financing. His deliberate efforts to strengthen financing opportunities through the soon-to-be-established development bank^[2] and other mechanisms, particularly for young people, women and emerging entrepreneurs, are important interventions aimed at converting ideas and skills into sustainable businesses and employment.

Editor, this matters because development cannot simply create wealth at the national level; it must create pathways through which ordinary citizens can build wealth for themselves and their families.

At the same time, increases in old-age support, public assistance and other social interventions demonstrate an understanding that national development must also protect the elderly, vulnerable and those who require additional assistance.

Taken together, these measures reveal a broader philosophy: build the country, strengthen the economy, educate and train the people, expand entrepreneurship and ensure that vulnerable citizens are not left behind. This is primarily what is unfolding in Guyana.

Moreover, President Ali has also significantly strengthened Guyana’s international profile.

Guyana is increasingly engaged as an emerging energy producer, a leader on food and energy security, an investment destination and an increasingly influential Caribbean and Global South voice.

The President’s international engagements should therefore be viewed as economic diplomacy. Partnerships that attract investment, create markets, increase tourism, strengthen bilateral relations and open opportunities for Guyanese businesses which essentially will produce tangible benefits at home.

For a country of Guyana’s population size to command its present level of international attention is itself significant.

Editor, this first year has certainly not been without challenges.

Communities continue to raise legitimate concerns about electricity, water, cost of living, road safety, public-sector efficiency and the pressure rapid development places upon existing infrastructure. Guyana has also endured painful national tragedies.

These shortcomings should not be hidden, because acknowledging them strengthens rather than weakens any credible assessment of the Government.

The important distinction is that President Ali has not presented these difficulties as reasons for inaction. His approach has increasingly been to confront them directly, engaging communities, mobilising Government agencies, bringing ministers and technical officers into communities, and pursuing practical interventions where deficiencies are identified.

His leadership is therefore not based on the proposition that every problem has been solved but on a demonstrated willingness to keep working diligently to solve them.

That distinction matters.

The next stage of Guyana’s transformation must increasingly be judged by what citizens experience in their everyday lives.

Families must feel greater economic security. Young people must see, know and take advantage of the many pathways to education, training, employment, financing and entrepreneurship. Businesses must have and embrace opportunities to participate in the expanding economy. Communities must experience improved electricity, water, healthcare and public services. Our elderly and vulnerable must feel greater security and dignity.

President Ali appears increasingly conscious of this challenge.

His One Guyana philosophy will ultimately succeed not merely because roads, bridges, hospitals and houses are constructed, but because opportunity reaches Guyanese across race, geography, political affiliation and social background.

President Ali’s record does not require anyone to claim perfection.

There are shortcomings to correct, institutions to strengthen and citizens whose concerns deserve faster responses. But those challenges should be considered alongside a Government investing simultaneously in infrastructure, housing, healthcare, agriculture, education, training, entrepreneurship, social protection, tourism and economic diversification.

The more meaningful question, therefore, is whether Guyana is stronger, more ambitious, more internationally respected and better positioned for its future.

The evidence points compellingly to yes. The evidence points forward positively.

President Irfaan Ali is demonstrating a leadership style characterised by ambition, accessibility, economic diplomacy, direct engagement and an unmistakable determination to improve the lives of Guyanese.

Importantly, where shortcomings exist, his response has increasingly been not to deny them but to pursue solutions, whether through expanded financing, free education and skills training^[3], incentives for productive sectors, stronger social support, infrastructure investment or direct Government intervention and engagement with the people for solutions.

One year into his renewed mandate, much has been accomplished and much remains to be done.

But the direction is unmistakable: President Ali is working diligently to build not simply a wealthier Guyana, but a country in which more Guyanese can own homes, acquire skills, be educated, establish businesses, secure employment, care for their families and live with greater dignity and opportunity.

If that mission continues with the urgency and hands-on leadership evident today, history may ultimately regard this period not merely as the time Guyana became wealthy, but as the period when its wealth was deliberately transformed into opportunity and a better life for its people.

References

1. ‘Guyana prepared for any reaction to ICJ Essequibo ruling’ - President Ali - Kaieteur News — kaieteurnewsonline.com ↩
2. Guyana Development Bank legislation to be tabled in National Assembly before launch – Dr Ali – Department of Public Information, Guyana — dpi.gov.gy ↩
3. Pres Ali eyes free UG online education for diaspora — dpi.gov.gy ↩