The tight-knit, sugar-backed community of Enmore on the East Coast of Demerara is poised for massive economic transformation as the government reviews dozens of proposals for industrial development in the area. President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali disclosed this information during his feature address at the 77th Commemoration of the Enmore Martyrs on Monday.
“We already have more than 20 business proposals that will see industries, manufacturing, and expanded production right here in Enmore,” the Head of State told a packed hall attending the commemoration event. The approach forms the basis of the government’s aggressive move to develop the necessary infrastructure in and around the community to support such development.
“The new four-lane road that will lead to the industrial hub right here will create tens of thousands of new jobs,” he said. The President used the opportunity to rebuke the former APNU+AFC government for allowing the economic destruction of Enmore and other communities to take place when they closed several sugar estates across the country. He reminded his audience that more than 40,000 people were affected by the closures.
“They destroyed the fabric of our society, they destroyed families. Let us not forget that they left almost $3 billion worth of standing canes in the fields to rot,” the President said.
When compared to his government’s track record, the President said that more than $40 billion has been spent to resuscitate the industry, with an additional 3,000 hectares of land being prepared for cultivation. This cultivation, the President said, will be done through mechanical means.
In 2022, the government announced the landmark collaborative venture with Guysons K+B Industries Inc. for the establishment of an oil field manufacturing facility in Enmore. When completed, the investment is expected to create more than 500 jobs for residents of the community and its surrounding environs.
These initiatives form part of the government’s intention to diversify the opportunities available for residents along the sugar belt for a more sustainable and inclusive future. “Today, as a people, we have a future to embrace; a future that can be prosperous or a future that can be regressive. And you have choices to make. Choices that will allow that prosperous future or choices that will take us back,” President Ali said.
