admin

Guyana’s first ever agriculture database system launched Oct 09, 2024 News A section of the gathering at the AIS launch (DPI photo) Kaieteur News – Improving its data and record keeping of the agriculture sector through the use of technology, the Ministry of Agriculture on Monday launched the country’s first ever Agriculture Information System (AIS). General Manager of the Country Department of the Caribbean at the IDB, Anton Edmunds (DPI photo) Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha speaking at the launch of the AIS on Monday The project which was launched at the Arthur Chung Conference Center was designed and created through a US$15 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) under the Sustainable Agricultural Development Programme (SADP). The system which was developed by IntellectStorm is set to serve as centralised hub for the Agriculture Ministry in allowing the agency to collect, analyse and share agriculture data from across Guyana in real time. Speaking of the development of this system, Director of Planning at the Ministry, Mrs. Natasha Beerjit-Deonarine said that in pursuit of delivering best services, the ministry has embraced innovation and technology to modernise their systems and management practices.  To this end they had implemented several initiatives to improve service quality and building better data systems. She noted that these systems will empower policymakers, management and extension officers to make informed evidence–based decisions in the sector. “For far too long, Guyana’s agriculture sector has faced challenges due to the fragmented data and outdated system, however, with the launch of the AIS we are overcoming these obstacles. Today, we gather to launch a tool that will enhance governance processes, enabling our officers especially our extension officers to operate more competently in this digital environment,” she said. The director informed that when fully operational, the AIS will give a clear and accurate picture of the country’s agriculture sector. Expounding on what the AIS entails, she explained that it has farm register module that will create a comprehensive database of farmers including unique identifiers, contact information, georeferencing of the farm and production details. There is an extension module that will record farm visits, production information and will include a farm profile. Further, it has a survey module and this will enable the creation and processing of customised surveys which has been a module the ministry used to collect farm data previously.  “For now, the AIS will primarily serve internal purposes, integrating the workload of the different agencies into a single platform, so instead of having GLDA having their own data base, GRDB or NAREI, it will all be on one platform. So this will help us to better serve our farmers, the extension officers, even the media personnel will be able to get more time bound information,” she briefed. In his feature address, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha said that the development of the AIS is important because now it would help the ministry to plan effectively moving forward, and that it will drive efficiency, boost productivity and cement Guyana’s position as a leader in agriculture and digitalisation in the Caribbean. “We are launching a AIS where we are hoping that will help us to plan and plan effectively. All of us who are in the agriculture sector will know that we have had a number of issues in relation to data collection, so much so that when we had the devastating flood, we had a number of issues to identify the beneficiary,” he explained. According to the minister, this system will help to provide data for them to identify who are in the livestock industry, in cash-crop fruits and vegetables, in the rice sector and who are in the fishing sector. He further said the that implementation of the system all forms part of the modernisation of the agriculture sector that they are building. The minister shared that the Agriculture Information System is not a standalone project, it will be strategically complemented by AIS hubs which will be located in eight of the ten administrative regions. “These hubs will serve as collaborative spaces for extension officers, fully equipped with modern office facilities, internet and computer, extension officers will be equipped with tablets so that we can have real time data,” he mentioned. Noting that the ministry has commenced training with the extension officers in using this new system, the minister told the officers that the AIS will help guide them to help the farmers to be more efficient, to help the farmers to ensure that they cultivate crops that will be beneficial to themselves which will improve their livelihood and at the same time bring benefit into the country. In his remarks, IDB’s General Manager of the Caribbean Country Department, Anton Edmunds said that the launch of this initiative highlights the promising trajectory of Guyana’s agriculture sector towards modernisation, increase productivity and sustainable development. “Agriculture in Guyana is poised for transformation, implementation of the AIS is more crucial than ever as agriculture data is essential to the effective planning and evaluation, more importantly for agriculture strategies and programs and projects,” he said. According to the General Manager, the lack of data is one of the biggest issues facing the Caribbean region and “the ability for us to have data and collect it in real time is really and truly crucial for the future of the industry.”  He added that the implementation of the system will enhance the ability to make informed decisions that can drive growth and sustainability in the sector. Related Similar Articles

ERC signs MoU with UNDP for e-monitoring of hate speech Oct 09, 2024 News Chairman of the ERC, Shaikh Moeenul Hack and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative (ag) Gerardo Noto sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of an e-monitoring tool to tackle hate speech on social media platforms. Kaieteur News – The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement an e-monitoring tool to tackle hate speeches. The signing occurred at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown. Chairman of the ERC Shaikh Moeenul Hack said that “the partnership represents a significant advancement in our ongoing efforts to monitor and address racially and ethnically offensive remarks on social media, a crucial component of our commitment to fostering harmony and good relations within our society.” He noted that the ERC has a Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) which diligently observes various platforms including television, newspaper and social media to identify instances of racial and ethnic infractions commonly referred to as “hate speech”. “Until now, this monitoring had relied on manual processes which while effective are limited in reach. From August to December 2023, after reactivating our Media Monitoring Unit, we documented 116 infractions. In the first nine months of this 2024, we have identified 163 infractions, we still have under three months to complete 2024 and we have already surpassed 2023,” he informed the gathering. According to the Chairman, the majority of these infractions occurs on social media, and noted that the statistics underscore the urge needed to tackle hate speech within the society as the 2025 election is approaching. Speaking of their need to boost up capacity to monitor hate speech, the Chairman explained that the e-monitoring tool will be instrumental in enhancing the Commission’s capacity to capture more content. “This innovative automated system will efficiently identify key words and phrases that are racially, ethnically offensive allowing us to respond more swiftly and effectively,” he related. While the e-monitoring tool will automate much of the data collected, Hack noted that they will maintain a manual verification process which will enable them to issue warnings or escalate matters to their Investigative Unit for further consideration. In brief remarks, UNDP’S Resident Representative (ag) Gerardo Noto said that as part of the MoU, UNDP will provide comprehensive support to the ERC including technical assistance to strengthen ERC’s existing methodologies for mapping and countering disinformation and hate speech. He said the intent is to strengthen ERC’s capacities to access social media data, provide crucial insights into information pollution and enhance the ERC’s technological infrastructure to better respond to these challenges, he stated. He related that the e-monitoring system is a state-of-the-art social media monitoring and analysis tool that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to track and analyze harmful content across different platforms. The UNDP representative further stated that the “Memorandum of Understanding is just not a document it is a commitment to uphold democratic values and contributes to Guyana’s unity. Let us take this crucial step together to promote social cohesion and inclusion and contribute to eradicate hate speech and free people from the shadows of misinformation.” In a joint release from both agencies, it was stated that the MoU aims at enhancing the knowledge base surrounding hate speech and fostering institutional resilience in the face of this growing challenge. It was shared that this partnership comes when Guyana prepares for the 2025 General Elections, a period that historically witnesses a surge in ethnic and racial hate speech. The signing of the MOU forms part of the wider ERC-UN System campaign to ‘Counter Hate Speech’, which was launched in June 2024.       Related Similar Articles

Man busted with 696 grams of weed, police ‘radio set’ arrested Oct 09, 2024 News The house that police raided Kaieteur News – A 30-year-old construction worker was arrested on Monday after he was found with 696 grams of cannabis at his New Amsterdam, Berbice home. The marijuana that was found in Konata Simpson’s home. The man has been identified as Konata Simpson. The Force said that ranks ventured off to Simpon’s residence about 16:00h and searched the premises in his presence. A bulky plastic bag under a table was discovered. “The bag contained leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis,” police said in a press release. As such, Simpson was told of the offence committed and cautioned. “Officer, is me weed,” he reportedly told the ranks. The two camouflage shirts that were found. Police also found another plastic bag containing sixty transparent bags containing leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis. A ‘radio set’ was found in a cupboard drawer inside a bedroom along with two camouflage shirts in a box, suspected to be military attire. “All the items found were taken to Central Police Station in Berbice,” police said. While at the police station, the cannabis was weighed. The ‘radio set’ was positively identified to be the property of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). Related Similar Articles

Cost oil audit unit at GRA now strengthened with more employees- Govt. Oct 09, 2024 News The GRA Head office Kaieteur News – The Guyana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) Cost Recovery Unit has been strengthened with the addition of more auditors; the Government of Guyana (GoG) revealed in its 2024 Mid-Year Report. In providing an update on the legal, regulatory, and institutional framework relative to the oil and gas sector, it was noted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continued to strengthen its monitoring of operations offshore. Additionally, “The Guyana Revenue Authority also made progress by staffing key departments examining oil companies’ revenues and cost recovery statements as well as performing customs controls,” the report stated. The GRA had complained that its trained auditors were being lost to the petroleum sector. The cost recovery unit plays a crucial role in examining the expenses incurred by oil companies to develop the resources offshore. Last year the Commissioner General of the GRA, Godfrey Statia pointed out that the department was understaffed as 31 persons were on roll, while 65 persons were required for the job. According to him, “we do not have the full complement of staff. We are working assiduously to get the full complement of staff. We have even pulled some staff from other Ministries, but as we know we have a paucity of skills in Guyana. We have even increased pay for persons in that capacity for them not to leave but what we have seen is that as we train staff, we lose staff.” Statia said that the trained workers are being lured with higher salaries from the oil companies and their contractors. In fact, five persons who were recently trained at the time were stolen by the oil companies. He said, “A couple of them were actually snapped up by CNOOC whereby their salaries is actually way more than mine and my officers and a couple by Exxon and we have even lost one to Schlumberger.” Statia said he has been appealing to the employees’ patriotism, rather than force the workers to remain on the job, since he believes “you have to love your work and you have to love what you do”. Additionally, he said he believes that GRA employees are privy to the best working conditions and in some cases double salaries compared to the other public servants at the same level. With the ramping up of offshore oil and gas activities, the GRA has seen an increased presence of petroleum operators and contractors, with the agency struggling to catch up. In 2019, Statia said the agency had 15 trained personnel in this department. The staff complement however grew to 31 in 2023, though at least 34 more persons were needed at the time. He said back then, 121 petroleum companies were operating in the country; however, the figure increased to more than 350, with this number also still climbing. Due to the shortage of employees, GRA was conducting “selective audits” with the tax body concentrating its efforts on clawing back the largest return. In addition to that, Statia said, “We have to use external accountants to do the cost recovery audit and we work along with them and we utilize their analysis and their findings to guide us in our examination and review of the accounts that would have been submitted by the oil and gas players.” Related Similar Articles

National Public Health Reference Laboratory gets GNBS certification Oct 09, 2024 News Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony and the team from the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) Kaieteur News – The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) Certification Services Department on Monday certified the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) under its Laboratory Certification Programme. GNBS Executive Director, Mr. Trevor Bassoo, (left) hands over the certificate to Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony The certificate was issued to NPHRL for demonstrating conformance to the requirements of the Guyana Standard: (GYS 170:2021) – General requirements for the operation of a laboratory. In a press release, the GNBS said at the certification ceremony, held in the Ministry of Heath Conference Hall, Brickdam, the certificate, which is valid for two years, was formally handed over to the Laboratory Quality Manager, Ms. Aletha Quintyn, in the presence of Laboratory Director, Mrs. Joyce Whyte-Chin, the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, GNBS Executive Director, Mr. Trevor Bassoo, other staff and special invitees. In her remarks, Whyte-Chin expressed gratitude to her team for the effort they have put into making the certification possible. She commended them for contributing their knowledge, skills and passion towards implementing procedures, advancing the lab’s research capabilities and maintaining the daily activities. The Lab Director also highlighted the importance of the certification. “Today’s certification is more than a badge of honour. It represents our promise to our clients, partners and the wider community and signifies that the results produced are accurate and reliable and meet the highest standards of scientific and ethical data.” Meanwhile, Bassoo, congratulated the Laboratory for its achievement. He stated, “this certification is not just a testament to the dedication and hard work of those in the laboratory but also a reflection of Government’s commitment to upholding quality, accuracy, and reliability in our health systems.” He added that NPHRL is now equipped to provide more precise and reliable diagnostic services, essential in the timely identification of diseases and public health threats.” The ED promised that the GNBS will continue to partner with laboratories and institutions across Guyana to promote Standardisation and Certification. Minister Anthony in his remarks described the certification as a significant milestone that should be maintained. Minister Anthony also underscored the importance of confidence in Laboratory work. He stated, “if diagnoses are to be made and results are issued, they must be accurate and in keeping with best practices.” He also emphasized the importance of external validation and committed to ensuring that NPHRL move from certification to accreditation. Additionally, effort will be made to have other public laboratories follow the path to certification. NPHRL is the thirty-fifth laboratory to become certified under the GNBS Laboratory Certification Programme. The Lab’s mission is to promote a healthy population by responding to public health threats through regular surveillance, diagnostic tests, innovative research and staff who are well trained to combat emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. The scope of NPHRL certification includes the testing for RPR, HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Dengue, Leptospirosis and many more diseases. Through its Laboratory Certification Programme, the GNBS monitors the operations of laboratories involved in testing, measurement and/ or calibration activities to ensure that they are satisfying the criteria for certification and the requirements outlined in the National Standard. Laboratories, which conform to the requirements of this standard, are provided with formal recognition to attest that they have implemented an effective laboratory management system, which aids their provision of accurate and reliable results to customers. GNBS also carries out surveillance checks during the certification period to ensure that the laboratory management system is maintained. Related Similar Articles

St. Stanislaus College Association announces newly elected executive committee Oct 09, 2024 News Kaieteur News – The St. Stanislaus College Association (SSCA) has elected a new Executive Committee for the 2024/2025 term. New President of the St. Stanislaus College Association, Jason Bhojedat The new leadership team was officially voted in during the 65th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on October 2, 2024, a press release from the association said. “This dynamic group of individuals is committed to furthering the mission of the association by fostering alumni connections, supporting the development of St. Stanislaus College, and enhancing the experience of current students,” the release added. The new office bearers are: President – Jason Bhojedat 1st Vice President – Crysteline Younge 2nd Vice President – Ashley Bailey Treasurer – Faris Ali Secretary – Angel Hope Assistant Secretary/Treasurer – Lizanna Gordon In addition to the elected officers, the following members were appointed to the SSCA Council: Sherwin Bart Kezia Bess Jamal Scott Zion Hinckson Ron Motilall Alexcia Elias According to the association, the new executive committee brings together a diverse group of professionals, all of whom are passionate about serving the alumni community and strengthening ties with St. Stanislaus College. “Under their leadership, the SSCA will continue to promote alumni engagement, organize events, and provide mentorship opportunities for current students, in line with the association’s goals of fostering growth, unity, and giving back,” the release added. The association expressed gratitude to the outgoing executive members for their dedication and service and looks forward to the exciting new initiatives and achievements that lie ahead with the newly elected team. Related Similar Articles

EPA to conduct its own study for OMAI planned dumping of mining pit water into Essequibo River Oct 09, 2024 News Kaieteur News – In response to an article by Kaieteur News highlighting that Canadian mining company, Omai Gold Mines Corporation intends to discharge water containing cyanide and mercury at levels below the detection limit from the old mining pits into the Essequibo River, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Tuesday that it will be conducting its own water quality testing to ensure compliance with environmental standards. Omai water sample collection (November 2023) Omai through its wholly owned subsidiary Avalon Gold Exploration Inc., holds a 100% interest in the Omai Prospecting License, covering some 4,590 acres or 18.575 square kilometres including the past producing Omai gold mine. Omai’s gold project encompasses two gold deposits: the shear-hosted Wenot Deposit and the adjacent intrusive-hosted Gilt Creek Deposit. Avalon submitted an application for environmental authorisation to conduct gold mining and processing operations in Region Seven, at the confluence of the Essequibo and Seballi Rivers, Omai, Potaro Mining District 2. The project aims to sustainably extract and process gold from the area. On Monday, it was reported that the future re-opening of Omai operations in Guyana would require dewatering of the existing open pits (Wenot and Fennel). This publication had reported that according to the project summary, cyanide and mercury levels were below detection limits. “All cyanide data was reported below the method detection limit of 0.002 mg/L (accepted objective is 0.005 mg/L) and all mercury data was reported below the method detection limit of 0.2 ug/L (accepted objective is 0.2 ug/L),” it was stated. In the statement, the agency noted that no Environmental Authorisation has been granted for any activities related to the project as proposed. “Although Omai has conducted its own water quality testing, which shows that cyanide and mercury levels are within acceptable international standards, the EPA will conduct its own independent testing to verify the results and ensure compliance with environmental protection standards,” it was stated. To this end, EPA said that the proposed dewatering (removal of water) of the Wenot Pit does not contain cyanide or mercury.  “Initial water quality tests conducted by Omai indicate no detectable levels of these substances in the water intended for discharge,” the agency added. Kaieteur News reported that as part of the legal requirements outlined in the Environmental Protection Act, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is necessary due to the potential significant environmental effects of the proposed mining activity. The EPA said it will only decide on the approval or rejection of the project after the EIA is completed. As such, the public is invited to participate in the process by submitting questions and concerns they would like to see addressed in the EIA. These submissions must be made in writing to the EPA within 28 days of the notice issued on September 17, 2024. Moreover, the project summary stated that characterisation of both the pit water chemistry and the receiving water body (Essequibo River) chemistry is essential to understanding any potential impacts. Water sampling took place between November 14 and 16, 2023, to characterise the chemistry and water quality of the Wenot and Fennell pit water, and the adjacent Essequibo River, the document noted. Within those three-days, Omai said it collected a total of 86 water samples from the Wenot and Fennell pits and 26 water samples from the Essequibo River. The samples were analysed within the recommended timeframes for metals, anions, and cyanide. Results from the sample of the Essequibo River showed that the majority of the samples were within established surface water quality objectives, except for three sites with minor copper exceedances, the company said. According to Omai, the results were compared to international water quality standards such as the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) and Ontario’s Provincial Water Quality Objectives (PWQO) and showed no exceedances for key contaminants like arsenic, cadmium, cyanide, copper, lead, mercury, nitrate, and sulphate. “Review of all quality control (QC) data demonstrated overall good reproducibility and excellent accuracy,” the company said. Omai explained that while the CCME and PWQO guideline values have no regulatory standing in Guyana, the practices were used for comparative purposes as current best industry practice concentrations. Overall, the company findings are that all critical parameters were well within safe limits for the protection of aquatic life. The study analyzed the water chemistry in both Omai pits (Fennell and Wenot) and the receiving Essequibo River. The results indicated that the water from the pits did not exceed any international water quality standards for the protection of aquatic life. In fact, the company said that the water quality in the pits was found to be better than that of the Essequibo River in several parameters. As a result, Omai said that the discharge of water from the Wenot Pit into the river is expected to improve the Essequibo River water quality in the discharge area and downstream. Related Similar Articles