The recently appointed President of the Caribbean Development Bank, Daniel Best, wrapped up his three day visit to Guyana on Thursday. Before his departure, he praised the Government’s development plan for Guyana and zeroed in on the CDB funded Linden-Mabura road and the larger Linden to Lethem road project.
In an interview with NCN, Mr. Best said the Linden-Mabura road project is the largest project that the CDB has ever funded and it will create an important link, especially when the full Linden to Lethem roadway is completed.
“I know the plan of the Government is to take that road really from Linden all the way to Lethem. What does that mean? Well, quite simply what it means is that it opens up South America such that trade can flow from Brazil all the way to the port of Georgetown and therefore reach the archipelago that are the islands of the Caribbean. We are speaking here essentially about opening a South American ‘silk route’, if I may be allowed to use that term, the transformative impact of this project on Guyana and the Caribbean region and South America will be incredible”, Mr Best stated.
The Linden to Mabura Hills road will stretch for 121 kilometers and is being funded through the CDB, the British Government and the Guyana Government at a cost of US$190 Million. The roadway will continue from Mabura to Lethem, which borders Brazil.
The CDB President said he is excited about the possibilities that will flow from the completed project and the impact it will have not just on Guyana, but on the Caribbean.
“The transformative impact of this project on Guyana and the Caribbean region and South America will be incredible, but its not just the infrastructure and that trade route that I am excited about, it is what we are doing in that project as well. We are building in capacity building and skills development for the persons who live along the route, their lives will be impacted and changed and it has to be for the better. We have to protect them and we have to ensure that their cultures are protected, but we also have to provide them with the opportunities from this as well, and that is also being built in to that particular project”, he said.
During his visit, the CDB President met and held talks with President Irfaan Ali and the Senior Minister responsible for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh. He also participated in the opening of two new schools in Essequibo.
Guyana is a founding member of the CDB and the bank’s President praised President Ali’s leadership on the development of Guyana and his promise to ensure that Guyana’s success also stretches across the blue seas of its sister CARICOM states.
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