The Guyana Indpendence Festival opened yesterday at the Centennial College in Toronto amidst much fanfare and celebration.
His Excellency, President Donald Ramotar deleivering the opening remarks on the occassion, spoke of the unprecedented development sweeping the nation.
"We went through difficult periods after Independence…Over the last two decades Guyana has overcome most of its difficulties" , President Ramotar announced.
On this note he expressed gratitude to all those who continue to return to Guyana and who steadfastly lend their support towards the development of the country.
President Ramotar reminded that there are many components to improving the quality of lives of citizens, key among which is the provision of equal access to education .
alluding to the strides that have been made in this regard, under the PPP/C administration, the Guyanese Head of State revealed that over 1000 schools have been built accross the country.
"Universal access to secondary education may be the norm by 2016," President Ramotar said.
In addition, he spoke of the benefits attached to the construction of the Speciality Hospital and emphasised the need for the Oppositon Political party to also recognise this and to support the developmental project.
The President expressed confidence that his administration will be able to reverse the budget cuts and gain support for similar such initiatives.
Turning his attention to the tourism sector, President Ramotar reiterated support for the growth of the sector where "huge possibilities" reside and pledged his commitment towards the successful completion of major projects that will boost the industry,including the Marriott Hotel , the Amelia Falls Hyrdo project and the Cheddi Jagan Airport expansion.
"These are exciting times to be in Guyana and we are working to overcome our challenges.
In his remarks, the Honourable Tourism Minister, Irfaan Ali extended warm greetings to all gathered and invited them to return to Guyana and rediscover the beauty of the destination.
"I invite you all to come to Guyana, home of the Amazon Adventure, the bossom of the garden of eden," Minister Ali stated.
After the formal ribbon cutting ceremony, the days cultural and sporting activities began in earnest with cricket matches,eating contests and the much anticipated trade and tourism show,where as much as 17 local trade and tourism businesses were represented.
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