President Bharrat Jagdeo meets Director General of the KFW Development Bank in Germany Helmut Gauges
Development cooperation projects targeting mostly Amerindian communities and tropical rainforest protection will soon enter a new phase with funding provided by KFW Development Bank of Germany.
Officials of the state-owned bank met with President Bharrat Jagdeo on March 18 to outline the details, the Government Information Agency reported. The delegation that met with the president included the Director General of Strategy, Environment and Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean, Helmut Gauges, and Senior Project Manager of Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Dr Martin Lux.
Tropical rainforest protection, sustainable development projects in Amerindian communities, and protected areas such as the Kanuku Mountains and Shell Beach are some of the major projects funded by KFW Development Bank.
About 40 projects are benefitting, half of which have been finalized according to senior Project Manager of the bank, Martin Lux. Among those projects to benefit are sustain- able agriculture, cattle rearing, and fencing of protected areas.
Three major projects are on the cards, one of which has already been completed, the other is nearing completion and the final one is soon to commence. Approximately 2M euros have been used on the projects already undertaken, while 5M euros will be used to finance the new phase of projects.
During Friday’s meeting with the head of state, the officials spoke at length about tropical rainforest protection, Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), and possible support mechanisms.
In June 2009, a National Secure Livelihood Programme (NSLP) was started to address the many challenges hampering economic development in Amerindian villages and hinterland communities.
The programme focuses on the creation of employment opportunities, sustaining food security, income generation, wealth creation, economic diversification, and secure livelihoods.
Voluntary Service Overseas specialists were employed to provide technical advice and entrepreneurship in the area of agriculture, aquaculture, pest management, food technology, business development, marketing, finance, and organisational development.
