President convenes National Stakeholders Forum to discuss threatened Amaila Project

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:01 by GxMedia

President Donald Ramotar is scheduled to meet civil society stakeholders on Thursday as the government continues to make its case to save the US$840M Amaila Hydropower Project.

The invitation to the private sector and other NGOs originated from Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira and invited them to a National Stakeholders Forum.

“The President will be the host of this meeting convened to discuss what is the single largest and most significant project that Guyana has ever undertaken,” Teixeira said.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9.30AM and last for two hours at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal.

The government has been drumming up public support for what has been touted as a flagship project for the nation in the wake of last week’s opposition vote against legislation said to be integral to the initiative.

It is also expected that the president will be meeting with the opposition party leaders following the postponement of Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly to facilitate talks “at the highest level.” The opposition parties have linked passage of the Hydro-Electric (Amendment) Bill to presidential assent to four local government bills currently before the House.

The government has expressed concerns with two of the bills which the opposition amended in the Special Select Committee with its majority. The administration for its part has said that Guyana has never been closer than now to realising the long-held dream of hydropower.