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A total of 365 women have been awarded contracts to date, as part of the government’s nationwide road development project.

The Ministry of Public Works outlined that in Region Four alone, where a whopping $11.5 billion was allocated for road improvements, women make up 216 of the 673 small contractors.

Region Five saw 29 females awarded contracts as part of the $2.7 billion investment to rehabilitate 191 roads, while in Region Six, another 120 women have joined the sector.

Expressing optimism about the initiative, Shevon Parks believes the initiative will have a meaningful impact on the lives of female small contractors.

“It is an excellent initiative that the government is doing targeting small contractors, especially women because often small contractors are deemed inexperienced. Now that we are gaining experience, it will elevate us,”Parks told the Department of Public Information (DPI).

Another female contractor and mother of two, Leanna Yearwood said “It is giving women the opportunity to flourish in a male-dominated field. This initiative will help me build my business and provide for my children.”

Sharing similar sentiments, Alison Mohamed highlighted that the initiative is empowering women of all ages.

 “You know there was a time when women were not open to this field of construction and now, we are given an opportunity to grow more. So, I am excited to be a part of this venture,” she stated.

The road development project is part of a broader strategy by the government to expand its contractor base.

Since the return of the PPP/C Government to office in August 2020, nearly 2,000 new contractors have joined the industry, adding to the growing network of local expertise.

Contracts under the initiative are expected to be completed by December.

Although some roads will be worked on in sections to maintain access for residents, the ministry assures the public of full completion.

Contractors are also required to conduct strength tests on concrete, which must meet a standard of 4,500 pounds per square inch (PSI) for durability.

Failure to meet these standards will result in contract cancellation without compensation.

To ensure transparency and community involvement, contractors and engineers will work closely with residents, who will be invited to monitor the progress.

This approach aims to foster a sense of ownership and pride within the communities benefitting from the infrastructure upgrades (Republished from the Department of Public Information) 

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The ENet Caribbean Clash of Champions is set to deliver an adrenaline-fueled showdown in the Superbike category on November 10, with a thrilling line-up of riders competing across the Super Stock A, Super Stock B and Street Bike classes at the South Dakota Circuit.

In the Super Stock A championship, all eyes will be on the intense rivalry between Matthew Vieira and Kevin Persaud as they battle for the top spot.

Adrian Mohar (Photo: Ackeem Thomas)

Adding to the excitement, British Superbike rider Dan Linfoot has confirmed to compete at the local circuit, along with Guyana’s own Stephen Vieira, who is making the final preparations.

Together, they promise fans a fierce and dynamic competition.

Nicholas Boodram is defending his title in the Super Stock B.

He is currently leading the championship, but faces intense competition from Alain Hopkinson, who is determined to take the top step on race day.

Allain Hopkinson (Photo: Ackeem Thomas)

Dowayne Caesar, Shem Chattersingh and Leroy Cort are joining the group, aiming for a strong finish and a chance to shake up the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, in the Street Bike class, championship leader Adrian Mohar will feel the heat from contenders like Jermaine Chattersingh, Fitzpatrick Augustus, Elwin Chase and Ray Cappell.

These riders are prepared to make Mohar’s path to victory a challenging one.

Heeranand ‘Nicholas’ Boodhram with the chequered flag at the ENet Caribbean Clash of Champions (Photo: News Room/Shaconeil Burnette/November 5, 2023)

Fresh talent will also join the fray as new riders line up for their first taste of competition- a sign of the sport’s continuous growth and commitment to bringing new talent into the arena.

The ENet Caribbean Clash of Champions promises high-speed action, intense rivalries, and the spirit of fierce competition as these skilled riders aim for the podium.

Fans can expect an electrifying atmosphere and a day packed with riveting Superbike action!

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Barbados Pride and defending champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force pulled off contrasting wins on Friday when action in the CG United Super50 Cup continued in Trinidad.

While Pride closed off a high-intensity run-chase with just two balls remaining against Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Red Force coasted to victory over Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Among the standout performers were Hurricanes opener Justin Greaves scoring 112, his second century in as many innings this tournament; young Kevin Wickham hitting a superb 118 to set up the Pride victory; and opener Tion Webster getting a magnificent 95 not out in the Red Force victory.

On the bowling side, left-arm spinner Jomes Warrican was the highlight with a four-wicket haul for Pride.

At Queen’s Park Oval: Barbados Pride defeated Leeward Islands Hurricanes by three wickets

SUMMARY: Leeward Islands Hurricanes 284-5 from 50 overs (Justin Greaves 112, Mikyle Louis 55, Chesney Hughes 52, Kofi James 34*; Jomel Warrican 4-43) lost to Barbados Pride 285-7 from 49.4 overs (Kevin Wickham 118, Kyle Mayers 58; Oshane Thomas 2-35, Jeremiah Louis 2-57) by three wickets

At Brian Lara Cricket Academy: Trinidad and Tobago Red Force defeated Windward Islands Volcanoes by seven wickets

SUMMARY: Windward Islands Volcanoes 182 all out from 45 overs (Jeremy Solozano 47, Sunil Ambris 47, Dillon Douglas 24; Joshua James 2-15, Anderson Phillip 2-21, Yannic Cariah 2-35) lost to Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 186-3 from 38 overs (Tion Webster 95*, Amir Jangoo 31, Joshua DaSilva 21*) by seven wickets.

Super50 action continues on Saturday (November 2) with West Indies Academy against Jamaica Scorpions from 09:00h at UWI SPEC.

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Khemraj Ramjattan, the former Minister of National Security, Friday claimed that Russian nationals deported were speaking to Dr. Bharat Jagdeo in their language (Russian) during the March 2020 elections saga.

Dr. Jagdeo, Guyana’s current Vice President and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, was serving as Opposition Leader in 2020.

Jagdeo and the PPP led the charge to ensure that the 2020 elections were not derailed by the then APNU+ AFC administration. At that time, however, there were allegations raised by the AFC that Russians were meddling in the elections. Those allegations have never been proven.

Ramjattan, who was also the APNU+AFC coalition candidate for Prime Minister, said Friday that there were four Russians speaking to Jagdeo in 2020.

The AFC member, reflecting on what he said were engagements with Jagdeo and four unidentified Russians claimed that the discussions centered on “certain things rather suspect that had to do with elections.” He said Jagdeo and the Russians were not speaking in English but in Russian.

AFC leader Nigel Hughes was questioned about this situation at an AFC presser on Friday. He, however, deferred to Ramjattan who was also at the presser.

He insinuated that members of the Guyana Police Force were able to understand the Russian language that was allegedly being spoken.

Furthermore, Ramjattan opined that those discussions may have involved national security issues and the elections. So the top brass of the Guyana Police Force took an interest in those apparent discussions. Since these beliefs may have been hard to prove, Ramjattan said that he suggested those nationals be deported.

“… I said deport them if they are illegally in Guyana and so they were deported,” he said at a party press conference.

Ramjattan also that the names of these nationals are in a report presented to Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn. He indicated that he would try to find the report compiled, as he may still have some information in his possession.

Onlookers are still puzzled about accusations of election interference and hacking since Guyana’s elections are conducted via pencil and paper; it is not a computerised process. And each party gets their own Statements of Poll (SOPs) to tabulate their results.

Still, Ramjattan said, “Don’t give the impression that we mek up story” which is believed to be the case by many.

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Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes on Friday distanced himself from questions about the Statements of Poll (SOPs) that would purportedly show that the APNU+ AFC coalition won the 2020 General and Regional Elections.

“At the last election, I was not in the business of examining SOPs,” Hughes said in response to questions posed to him at a party press conference.

As lawyer defending some of the accused persons, Hughes may have already seen the SOPs. He, however, implied if that was the case, he would not be obligated to disclosed information as part of attorney/ client privileges.

For the past four  years, the APNU+AFC has not produced their SoPs which they insist show that they won the 2020 elections.

The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) had released their SoPs days after the March 02, 2020 elections which showed a victory for Irfaan Ali and the PPP/C.

A recount of the votes several weeks later also confirmed that the PPP/C had won the elections.

Years later, members of the parties are challenging the recount which was accepted by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and all international observer missions in Guyana at the time. The APNU+ AFC coalition has been accused of attempting to derail the elections by members of the international community, including the ABC EU countries.

Hughes, however, did not want to speak further on the matter as he is representing several of the persons accused of electoral fraud.

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The elections fraud trial, which has long been overshadowed by delays, is now set for a restart before Chief Magistrate (acting) Faith McGusty following a successful transfer of the matter on Friday.

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo said earlier this week, however, that the governing People’s Progressive Party was questioning the sloth in moving the trial forward, four years later.

“Yes, I am worried about the compromising of the evidence, etcetera, but the judiciary gets away with not saying anything. Who is in charge?

” They have to ensure that these matters move with some pace,” Jagdeo lamented at his regular engagement with the press on Wednesday at Freedom House, Georgetown.

“We just want to get on with the trial. We as an executive have evidence supported by a COI and publicly known by everyone that there was an attempt by individuals to steal the elections,” he pointed out.

The much-anticipated trial concerning alleged election fraud during the March 2020 General and Regional elections was stalled following a series of delays caused in part by the ill health of the presiding magistrate, Leron Daly.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall addressed the ongoing situation during his “Issues in the News” commentary Tuesday night, confirming a new magistrate will be appointed to oversee the case.

This change, however, will necessitate starting the trial anew.

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The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) government had racked up debts across the country and demitted office with millions owed to local service providers.

Even now, four years later, the incumbent People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is still trying to clear the massive backlog, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo shared on Wednesday.

At his weekly party presser at Freedom House in Georgetown, Jagdeo noted that the backlog has not been cleared even though monies were budged each year to cater to these payments.

“I met a young afro Guyanese mechanic and he said to me that for four years I am looking after the police vehicles; there are 150 vehicles I fixed, and here is a list of all of them, and I have not received my payment. And he’s pushed around all the time,” Jagdeo shared.

Even as they are trying to make the payments now, it is difficult to find the records from the period APNU was in power, Jagdeo said.

“They owe a ton of people, a ton of people around the country.”

“The people who are picking up the dead from the parlours, and these are people who are sympathetic to APNU. We now have to end up paying them,” he added.

He reflected on what the party did in the health sector just before the 2019 elections.

“They hired about 400/500 persons in the first month to work for elections, basically to say oh you’re getting jobs, and never paid them. We ended up paying them….for the whole year that they worked.”

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As Guyana continues to attract international attention as a  new petroleum producing state, First Lady Mrs Arya Ali promoted the country’s Low Carbon  Development Strategy (LCDS) as a blueprint for sustainable growth. 

The First Lady was at the time participating in a panel discussion at the International Year of the  Family +30 Conference which was hosted by the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) in  Doha, Qatar, on October 30th, 2024. 

The conference sought to examine the impacts of megatrends – such as climate change and  technology – on families across the globe. 

During her presentation, Mrs Ali highlighted some of the impacts of climate change on families  in Guyana; including displacement due to flooding, and droughts which have affected farming  communities.  

However, she noted that Guyana is equipped with a modern and dynamic policy – in the form of  the LCDS – which outlines how the country can responsibly exploit its resources and use the  proceeds from to build a resilient economy and country.  

‘Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy offers the world a blueprint for sustainable  growth,” she said. 

Among the things Mrs Ali drew attention to in the LCDS, was Guyana’s prudent management of  its forests which has allowed for US$1 billion in agreements to be signed for its continued  protection.  

“Earning money from the preservation of our forests, which the world benefits from, has allowed  us to provide critical support to the same communities which have been most affected by climate  change,” Mrs Ali told the gathering. 

She highlighted Guyana’s groundbreaking efforts to use climate finance, through the sale of  carbon credits, to support 242 Indigenous communities, enhancing livelihoods and promoting  sustainable development at the grassroots level. 

Climate finance, and even oil revenues, have also allowed for increased investments in climate  adaptation and mitigation – including through renewable energy, climate smart agriculture, and  flood management and other infrastructure development. 

“Important in all of this, too, is education and capacity building as critical components in  combating climate change and promoting sustainable practices,” the First Lady explained. 

She added, too, that Guyana is also committed to the conservation and sustainable use of its  terrestrial and oceanic resources, ensuring that these are leveraged for economic, social, and  environmental benefits.  

The panel also included: H.E. Dr. Lydia Abela, First Lady of Malta; H.E. Mahinur Özdemir  Göktaş, Minister of Family and Social Services of Turkiye; Mr Mohamed Behnaasi, President &  Senior Environmental Expert at the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Morocco; and  Jenna Spitzer, DIFI-Duke Report Author “Climate Change and the Family”. 

[Press Release: Office of the First Lady]

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The eyes of Caribbean cycling will be focused on Guyana this weekend when the country hosts the 2024 Elite/Under-23 Caribbean Cycling Championship and the annual Congress of the Caribbean Cycling Union.

Cyclists from approximately 20 member countries of the Caribbean Cycling Union will compete in the Elite male and female categories, alongside the Under-23 cyclists for championship titles.

Team Guyana comprises Briton John, Jamaul John, Curtis Dey, Segun Hubbard, the experienced Marlon Williams and Kwame Ridley, while Aaron Newton will represent the U-23 category and veteran Denise Jeffery will participate in the female category.

Alex Mendes and Christopher Griffith are the reserves.

The Guyanese will face stern challenges from their counterparts from Anguilla, Barbados, Bermuda, Belize, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Suriname.

On Saturday, the Women Elite 85km Road Race will pedal off on the Mandela/Eccles/ Heroes Highway at 09:00h, while at 11:00h, the Men Individual Time Trials will commence on the same circuit.

On Sunday, the Men Individual Road Race 155km will commence from the Linden Highway along the East Bank Corridor to the Heroes Highway Circuit.

This will be followed by the Women Individual Time Trials on the Mandela/Eccles/Heroes Highway Circuit.

See below team members 

See below race routes 

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