In a major milestone for hinterland workforce empowerment and infrastructural transformation, the first batch of 28 residents has successfully completed professional training and certification in skid steer and compactor operation.

The intensive training initiative forms a cornerstone of the Ministry of Public Works’ Special Projects Unit Community Participation Model programme, tailored specifically for hinterland regions. The comprehensive curriculum combined rigorous theoretical instruction with hands-on practical exercises focusing on equipment utilisation, routine maintenance, and advanced contamination control for heavy-duty industrial machinery.

Addressing the graduation ceremony at MaCorp, Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill underscored the profound developmental impact of this initiative for residents of Region Eight, particularly those residing across the mountainous terrain.

He reflected on the evolution of governmental support, noting that while the administration initially provided villages with smaller five-million-dollar grants primarily designated for basic tasks like grubbing, continuous dialogue with village leaders and regional bodies such as the National Toshaos Council (NTC) revealed an overwhelming demand for expanded community-led development.

Historical challenges involving outside contractors and subsequent project abandonments prompted a decisive shift in national policy. Consequently, the government increased capital allocations to a maximum ceiling of thirty million dollars per village, pairing these funds with accredited institutional training to ensure local communities retain direct ownership and control over their infrastructural progress.

Expounding on the mechanics of the policy, Minister Edghill explained, “It is from this decision that you were divided into clusters to execute the works identified by the community. Your leaders said you can do the work once you’re trained, and we delivered. Additionally, we could just buy and send machines without you knowing how to use and maintain them, but we chose the premier institution where machines and training are concerned to ensure you have the best level of training. Now, as you return to your villages, and as the second batch of trainees heads out, you can tell your colleagues you attended training at one of the most prestigious institutions.”

The Minister further charged the graduates with immediate responsibilities: “You have received your certificates, you will soon travel home, and following right behind are your machines. You’re equipped and are expected to construct your roads, ensuring there are adequate drains and proper quality surfaces for vehicles to traverse—not just the ATVs like before.”

To ensure comprehensive project execution, each participating cluster is slated to receive a full complement of heavy equipment, including excavators, motor graders, skid steer loaders, compactors, and bulldozers.

Minister Edghill highlighted that these newly mastered skills command immense value in the contemporary economy given the soaring national demand for certified heavy-duty operators.

Encouraging the graduates to remain rooted in their communities, Minister Edghill added, “I want you to take what you have gotten here and use it to develop your village. The skill that you now have is a valuable one, but don’t desert your village and run off. Teach others in your village; let them learn and expand. It is these opportunities that make you, and when I come to your villages, I am expecting exceptional work. Many times it is you who produce better work suitable for your villages, so return home and excel as you work hand-in-hand to develop Guyana.”

Sharing similar sentiments, the Machinery Corporation of Guyana Limited (MACORP) commended the participants for their dedication, noting that they had been hand-picked by their respective villages based on demonstrated competence.

Emphasising the tangible value of the accreditation, MaCorp reiterated Minister Edghill’s statement, “You were selected by your villages because of your competence and were given this opportunity. Having completed this training, you are now fully equipped to execute your works. This is not a mere piece of paper, but a testimony of your skills. And if the need arises, we will be ready to offer any assistance you need.”

This grassroots capacity-building effort seamlessly aligns with the broader national strategy spearheaded by the government to bridge historical divides between the coast and the hinterland through enhanced connectivity and infrastructural modernisation.

Across Regions Eight and Nine, massive capital investments are currently underway to transform transportation networks, link remote indigenous settlements, and facilitate unhindered trade and travel across the Pakaraima Mountains. By pairing multi-million-dollar community contracts with state-of-the-art machinery and professional certification, the Ministry of Public Works is ensuring that hinterland populations remain active architects of their own prosperity, laying a resilient foundation for equitable, nationwide development.

Arrangements for the rollout of the second batch of trainees are already well advanced.

Source: INews Guyana

‘Respect the World Court Ruling’: President Ali Rebuts Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez at UN General Assembly

By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK — In a dramatic diplomatic showdown on the world’s most prominent stage, President Dr. Irfaan Ali delivered a firm and uncompromising rebuttal to Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, declaring that decades of bilateral discussions have run their course and that Caracas must unconditionally abide by the forthcoming judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The exchange followed after Rodríguez used her address to world leaders to reiterate Caracas’ territorial claim over Guyana’s resource-rich Essequibo region, urging Georgetown to abandon judicial proceedings at the Peace Palace in The Hague and return to direct negotiations under the 1966 Geneva Agreement.

Taking the podium shortly thereafter, President Ali systematically dismantled the Venezuelan narrative, reminding the international community that bilateral diplomacy was exhaustively pursued for more than half a century without success, leaving the World Court as the final, binding legal authority to settle the controversy.

Rodríguez’s UN Appeal: A Brooch, Bilateral Calls, and the 1966 Geneva Agreement

Addressing the General Assembly, Venezuela’s Acting President pressed Caracas’ longstanding expansionist stance, visually reinforcing the claim by wearing a brooch depicting a map of Venezuela that subsumed Guyana’s Essequibo territory:

• Call to Abandon the Court: Rodríguez appealed directly to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to abandon its ICJ trajectory, arguing that a practical settlement must emerge exclusively from direct, bilateral political talks between the two capitals.
• Reliance on the 1966 Geneva Agreement: Caracas framed the Geneva Agreement as a mechanism requiring continued negotiation rather than judicial settlement, ignoring the treaty provisions that empowered the UN Secretary-General to choose the dispute-resolution forum.

“Here, I appeal to the Cooperative [Republic of Guyana]… emerge from bilateral negotiations,” Rodríguez urged the assembly.

President Ali: ‘Recourse to the ICJ Followed Decades of Exhausted Diplomacy’

Taking the stage to deliver Guyana’s national statement, President Ali directly countered Rodríguez’s assertion that bilateral diplomacy had been underutilized or abandoned prematurely:

• Decades of Good-Faith Engagement: Ali outlined Guyana’s extensive participation in bilateral mechanisms spanning more than five decades, including the four-year Mixed Commission (1966–1970) and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Good Offices Process (1990–2017).
• The Secretary-General’s Mandate: Following 27 years of fruitless mediation under the Good Offices framework, UN Secretary-General António Guterres determined in January 2018 that the bilateral mechanism had failed and formally chose the International Court of Justice as the means to resolve the controversy, in accordance with Article IV(2) of the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
• Aggression and Provocation: President Ali reiterated Guyana’s steadfast position that the 1899 Arbitral Award fully, perfectly, and finally settled the international land boundary, accusing Caracas of subjecting Guyana to repeated economic blockades, military intimidation, and maritime aggression despite Georgetown’s peaceful compliance with international law.

“Recourse to the ICJ came [only after decades of unsuccessful bilateral efforts, including] the Good Offices of the UN Secretary-General,” President Ali stated.

‘Whatever the Court Decides Must Be Respected’

With the ICJ concluding oral hearings on the merits of the case in May 2026, the dispute has entered its final judicial deliberative phase. President Ali issued his clearest warning yet to the Venezuelan leadership, emphasizing that sovereign nations cannot pick and choose when to observe international law:

• Mutual Participation Means Mutual Compliance: Because both Guyana and Venezuela fully participated in the oral pleadings, submitted substantive written memorials, and argued their interpretations before the 15-member bench, both states are bound by the United Nations Charter to accept the final verdict.
• Looking Beyond to Regional Peace: While defending Guyana’s territorial sovereignty without compromise, President Ali concluded his address by envisioning a post-judgment future of regional cooperation once Venezuela respects the rule of law.

“Now that we have both participated [in the judicial process at the ICJ, Venezuela must abide by its forthcoming decision,] as Guyana will do,” President Ali asserted.

“We look forward to a new era [of peace and mutual respect between our two] countries and the stability and prosperity of our region.”

The International Court of Justice is expected to hand down its legally binding judgment on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award in the coming months, marking the definitive legal conclusion of the border controversy.

Source: HGP Nightly News / HGPTV

Some 25 auto electricians and mechanical technicians were among the new cohort to successfully complete the training, which was conducted from September 14 to September 18, 2026, and September 21, 2026, to September 24, 2026, at the Mahaicony Technical and Vocational Training Centre (MTVTC).

It also aligns with the objectives of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030 and contributes to the transformation of how energy is produced and used in Guyana, as well as how transportation systems operate across the country. Through these efforts, the initiative reinforces the importance of sustainability as Guyana continues its transition towards a low-carbon future.

Source: INews Guyana

New four-lane Wismar-Mackenzie Bridge to open within weeks – President Ali

Lindeners will be crossing the Demerara River on a new, toll-free four-lane bridge within weeks, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali announced during an address to the Guyanese diaspora in Queens Village, New York, on Thursday evening.

The president listed the project among major infrastructure works in the government’s second phase of development.

“The reality is that in a couple of weeks, we will open the new four-lane Wismar Bridge,” the president said.

The US$35 million bridge replaces a crossing built by the Demerara Bauxite Company in 1966-1967 with a single-lane railway track, originally to move bauxite from the West Bank mines to the processsing plant on the East Bank. Over the decades, the ageing structure became a bottleneck.

The new 220-metre precast bridge is being built by China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co Ltd.

It mirrors the design of the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge and will have four vehicular lanes and two pedestrian walkways, with clear passage for hopper barges beneath.

Roundabouts on both sides will link it to the Linden-Mabura Road and the wider highway network, and the connecting roads are being expanded to four lanes.

The contract was signed in January 2024, and works started in April that year. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration has also made the bridge toll-free, a policy decision aimed at cutting travel costs and improving regional connectivity.

The bridge forms part of the road corridor to Brazil. President Ali noted that more than 120 kilometres of the Linden-to-Brazil road have already been completed, a second phase has been awarded, and all the bridges along the route are finished. The Kurupukari Bridge across the Essequibo River is next in line.

“These are not dreams…These are active projects that we must deliver,” the president said.

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