-by NaAsia Bristol
Government has invested more than $41.7 billion in Amerindian villages and communities over the past five years, supporting infrastructure, agriculture, energy and community development.
President Irfaan Ali made the disclosure when he addressed at the opening of the Amerindian heritage cultural extravaganza.
“Over the last five years, we’ve invested more than $41.7 billion in your villages and your communities. In the Amerindian Development Fund, we’ve invested $21.7 billion. Today you have not only village shops, you have sawmills, ecotourism facility, you have bus service, you have modern agriculture. You have every single facet of national development existing in your villages,” he said.
The President acknowledged that, while the government has invested US$19.6 million in ICT infrastructure and brought high-speed connectivity to more than 250 hinterland villages, more must be done to bridge the digital divide.
These ICT developments have directly benefited approximately 140,000 people.
“We are dissatisfied with the Digicel and the GTNT and all the other service providers. ENET and everyone. They have to make more investment in the hinterland. They have to invest more in the hinterland. They have to bridge the communication divide,” he said.
President Ali emphasised the government’s ongoing commitment to expanding opportunities and improving the quality of life for Amerindian populations but insists that private sector involvement remains crucial to achieving full digital inclusion.