Tag: University of Guyana

Dr English appointed convenor of civil society organisations for EITI process

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

Dr Ivor B. English, a member of the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (GCSDA), has been appointed as the Convenor of Civil Society Organisations for Guyana’s participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) process.

The Ministry of Natural Resources in a release said the appointment follows an open and transparent review process conducted by the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, who also serves as Guyana’s EITI champion.

In Guyana, the champion is responsible for appointing a convenor for each constituency group on the Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG).

The GCSDA represents one of Guyana’s most structured civil-society organisations, comprising over 68,000 active members and adherents across 31 pastoral districts.

As a member of this non-partisan, faith-based organisation with no political or industrial affiliation, Dr English is uniquely positioned to serve as civil society convenor, the release said.

In his new role, Dr English will guide an open, independent, participatory, and representative caucusing process, in keeping with the EITI Standard, for the upcoming reconstitution of the Civil Society Component within the GYEITI MSG. He will serve as convenor for two MSG terms, spanning six years.

The MSG is the principal body responsible for overseeing the implementation of the EITI Standard in Guyana. It is composed of 24 members, with equal representation from three sectors: government, extractive companies, and civil society. Each sector has four primary members and four alternate members, ensuring balanced participation and shared decision-making across all stakeholder groups.

UG to open Faculty of Engineering and Technology branch in Region Three

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

The University of Guyana (UG) will establish a branch of its Faculty of Engineering and Technology in Region Three, President Irfaan Ali announced on Sunday.

The new location will be housed at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centre in the region.

Ali made the announcement during the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) rally in Stewartville, Region Three, saying the initiative responds to complaints from students unable to enroll in UG’s civil engineering programme because of limited space.

“A few young people approached me and said they applied to study civil engineering at UG, but were turned away because the programme was full,” Ali said.

He added that the government will use the TVET system to accommodate more students.

“We’re going to create those additional spaces right here in the TVET centre and deliver the Faculty of Engineering to you,” the president said.

Ali said the move was part of his administration’s broader effort to remove barriers to education.

“We will not allow ‘no’ to be the final answer for our young people. We’re dismantling every barrier to create more opportunities,” he said.

The announcement follows another education initiative in the region. Last week, Ali said the recently opened Tuschen Secondary School will serve as an evening campus for UG’s College of Medical Sciences, offering more than 17 programmes in medicine and allied health fields for students across Essequibo and Demerara.

 UG showcases research and innovation in Linden

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

Over 40 applied research projects and innovations are currently being showcased, as the University of Guyana’s Institute for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (UGIRIE) presents its Exhibition of Innovations in Linden.

The two-day event commenced yesterday at the Linden branch of the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education, featuring innovative work in areas like climate-smart technology, food science, renewable energy, Information Communication Technology (ICT) applications, and coconut technology.

The exhibition, which wraps up today, not only showcases inventions, but provides a platform where students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators could network, share ideas, find collaborators, and attract sponsors and business partners.

Speaking at the event yesterday, Linden Mayor Sharma Solomon said he was very excited that the event was featured in Linden as it created much-needed exposure and support for entrepreneurs.

“[The initiative] is bringing innovative ideas and entrepreneurs the sort of exposure that they need. For one, it not only brings ideas to the front, but it also supports them,” he noted.

Participant Jamila Chapman-Wills, who is a graduate of the university, explained the creative vision behind her product- cassava chocolate cake mix.

“It’s already boxed, it’s gluten reduced and we have an inclusion of the wholewheat flour because we know that cassava by itself gives that ‘gooey’ kind of texture. So, to have that cake texture we would have introduced a small amount of wholewheat flour,” she explained.

She further explained the process of utilising the cake mix. “There is no eggs. We would recommend olive oil, or we know in the home we most times have vegetable oil. So any oil can be included.”

Chapman-Wills further noted that the innovative cake mix utilises the same baking instructions as regular cake mixes.

Meanwhile, university student Humphrey (only name) showcased how he incorporates cassava and sweet potato into bread-making.

“What we’re presenting is our new innovation, where we have 25 per cent sweet potato incorporated into our bread making and also 25 per cent cassava. We’re talking about a bread that has a low glycemic level and is much healthier than the regular white bread,” he shared.

Humphrey noted that based on reviews, bread lovers are enjoying the creative flavour as well as the nutritional benefits.

He further explained that while the bread is currently at the research stage, it is expected to soon be patented and available on shelves.

UGIRIE Director, Dr. Lawrence Lewis, said the school will also be offering mentorship opportunities for innovators, including guidance on marketing, product improvement, and quality management.

UGIRIE, launched in 2021, was created to help bridge the gap between research and real-world application.

It supports the university’s broader mission of solving national and regional challenges through science, technology, and entrepreneurship.

UG cops first place in international architectural competition

Posted on by Aliyah Persaud

The University of Guyana’s Architecture Department in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET) has once again copped the first prize at the 5th International Lekol Architectural Competition held in French Guiana from June 24 to 27, 2025.
The Trades and Qualifications Campus of Excellence in the field of Wood, Eco-construction, and Ecotechnology of French Guiana organised the international architecture competition for university students with the support of the Territorial Authority of French Guiana (CTG) and the State through the Regional Cooperation Fund (FCR).
This year’s participants included the University of Guyana, Anton de Kom State University of Suriname, and the Federal University of the State of Amapá – Brazil.
The goal of the annual competition is to enable students in the architecture sector to design an ecological and solidarity-based project that meets the environmental concerns of the decade. The aim of the competition is to encourage students’ ability to innovate in the field of architecture by offering local populations an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable alternative.
According to a release, this year’s architectural project was a proposal for a convention centre to be placed on the campus of the university in French Guiana. The design needed to satisfy the best ratio between production cost and architectural efficiency, decarbonised construction, consider urban planning elements, volume and adaptability, functionality, site suitability, and cultural fitness.
The winning design was nature-inspired by the Cayenne Nightjar – a bird spotted only once in French Guiana in 1970. The building bio-mimicked the bird’s features in terms of colour, wings, flight dynamics, and anatomy. Total square footage was 19,000+ with 30 per cent allotted for green spaces.
The UoG contingent comprised Head of the Architecture Department, Dr Anna Perreira; lecturer, Kurt Gonsalves; and final-year BSc. Architecture students Kiana Persaud, Aditya Mohanlal, and Denish Ramnarin.
The department held an internal competition with final-year students, which saw an unprecedented 10 groups of three students each from both 3rd and 4th years developing designs, the release noted.
From January to mid-May 2025, part-time lecturers Godfrey Proctor and Kurt Gonsalves guided the students during their design studio classes with the help of Dr Perreira to develop their designs. The winning team was selected via a jury comprising members of the Architecture Department’s faculty.
The final jury comprised Ms Jenny Sanchez (Vice Dean of Research & Outreach, Faculty of Arts, National University of Colombia, Bogotá Campus); Architect Caroline Marie-Calixte (Agence Néor Architecture Guyane), who developed the design requirements for the competition; two other local architects; one civil engineer; the Chief of the University of French Guiana; and the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM), France.
The second place of the Lekol Competition went to Brazil, with the third place going to Suriname.
According to the release, Head of UG’s Architecture Department, Dr Anna Perreira, said: “I feel proud of the success the department has accomplished in this architectural competition as it signals the expertise the department possesses and the calibre of students in the programme. The opportunity to compete with other universities and win not only brings credibility to the department but also the University of Guyana.”
“What is unique about how we prepare ourselves for this competition is that the entire cohort first competes internally amongst themselves to then identify the best proposal which will represent the university’s submission. The competing universities do not adopt this approach; however, it allows us equal opportunity for the students to prove and apply their knowledge and skills. As HOD, my aim is to continue enhancing the programme through such exposure to competition and academic application,” Dr Perreira said.
This is the second first-place win for Guyana since competing in 2023. Last year, Guyana took home the first prize for sustainability in construction for its design of an engineering and architecture faculty for the UoG campus by the competition organisers.
The Department of Architecture expressed its appreciation to the lecturers and students who assisted team UG in successfully representing the University of Guyana, the organisers of the Lekol Architectural Competition, and the French Ambassador to Guyana and Suriname, Nicholas de Lacoste. The students will be making a presentation of their project at this year’s departmental final-year dissertation presentations in the Engineering and Technology boardroom.

Credit: UG photographs
Credit: UG photographs

UG leads efforts to promote smarter money habits among citizens

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

The University of Guyana (UG) has rekindled its “Money Week” programme as it seeks to promote financial intelligence among citizens. In partnership with the Jamaica Stock Exchange and numerous local partners, UG is hosting a three-day event that will allow citizens to interact with some leading financial experts in the areas of financial planning, investments, and business development.

Participants will also get the opportunity to learn about developments in digital finance, the way people interact with financial services online, and the increasing use of artificial intelligence.

Money Week 2025, themed “Building your financial future, dollar by dollar”, is part of an awareness campaign aimed at ensuring citizens acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to make sound financial decisions and ultimately achieve financial success and financial resilience.

UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin, in her opening statement, highlighted several ways persons would be able to benefit from the three-day programme, including their interaction with persons involved in business and hearing their stories to find out what they did to get to where they are.

“The wonderful thing about it is that you can ask them questions, face-to-face, in person, so that you can get a first-hand sense of what you need to do, and what you need to learn. We also have some films on things like Bitcoin. And cryptocurrency, and how that really works, and how we need to prepare as a nation… How it affects the economy, etc. So these are futuristic and present things. And then we also have some very, very practical workshops.”

These workshops involve people, for instance, learning how to use their mobile phones to make marketing materials, videos, how to market on social media, and so on. Additionally, she continued, participants will be able to network and connect with relevant sources.

Chief Investment Officer and Head of the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), Dr Peter Ramsaroop, said the event is timely given the direction Guyana is heading. Guyana is a hive of economic activities, and citizens need to follow the government’s budget to better position themselves.

“So, there are many, many concepts that, if you’re an economics student, or you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve got to follow the money. If you follow the money, you will make money. And following the money, study the budget; listen to the vision and strategy. We’ve got a stable macroeconomic economy. This is why we will continue to lead the region, we will continue to develop. In the developed world, Guyana will always be at the table when it comes to energy, when it comes to food security, when it comes to climate security, when it comes to biodiversity. We will be at the table. How do you get that to the table in making money? And that’s what I hope you get out of this conference for the next few days.”

Other presenters included the Dean of the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, Professor Leland Lucas; President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Vice Chair of the Private Sector Commission, Kathy Smith; and DDL Chairman, Komal Samaroo, among others.

The three-day event will end on Thursday, June 5.

New US$4.57M UG medical sciences building to train more doctors

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Tuesday commissioned a modern building for the University of Guyana’s College of Medical Sciences at the Turkeyen Campus, aiming to enhance health education and research capabilities.

The US$4.576 million facility, funded by the government and the World Bank, will accommodate 200 students and faculty members. Equipped with the latest educational technology, it includes a lecture theatre, a microbiology laboratory with a wet prep room, an anatomy laboratory, a haematological/biochemistry laboratory, a haematology laboratory, research and skills labs, and eight classrooms.

Ali said the project’s timeline was adjusted and negotiations were accelerated to complete construction successfully. He stressed the role of leadership, ownership, and responsibility in achieving progress.

The government is making substantial investments in education and healthcare, he said, adding that these efforts are critical to providing high-quality services in a modern society.

Expanding Medical Training

Ali outlined plans to expand access to university-level medical training across the country.

“I want to say to the Vice Chancellor and Dr Cummings that the vision is not a centralised vision. The vision is, how do we take the services of the university to key and critical areas out to every single region in our country? And that is why the New Amsterdam Hospital will be a teaching hospital that will have the capability and capacity to graduate at least 200 students and to take in 200 students,” he said.

Guyana has also partnered with health institutions to provide specialised training and improve medical care.

“This is what an integrated education and world-class education and healthcare system must look like, and we are making those investments… But, of course, we know the world is advancing [at a] tremendous pace. We will also have to have labs that allow our students to learn robotics and AI…” Ali said.

The government is investing in simulation laboratories to ensure medical students have access to advanced training tools, he added.

Ali said integrating artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital technologies into education and healthcare is crucial.

Guyana is investing more than GYD 13 billion in the University of Guyana to provide free tertiary education.

“We are not cutting costs or corners to deliver that free education. We want to prepare and produce students who are world-class in every field… so that our students will be globally competitive… This is about a huge vision. This is about understanding where we want the country to be positioned, not only to deliver excellent health care to patients but to be part of the research,” he said.

Ali suggested that the university, which currently accepts regional students, could consider enrolling students from around the world in various disciplines.

Addressing Capacity Challenges

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said the new facility would support the training of more medical professionals to meet the country’s growing healthcare demands.

University of Guyana Vice Chancellor Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin said the new building strengthens the university’s ability to accommodate more students.

“I am happy to say that this building today allows us to take in about 40 per cent of students in the medical school,” she said.

She noted that space limitations in the old facility had previously prevented some eligible students from enrolling. Over the past five years, the faculty has increased student intake by 1,000 per year.

“This has been a really long journey. It has taken us about ten years to design, redesign and adjust the requirements…” she said.

Jaime Saavedra, the World Bank’s director for human development in Latin America and the Caribbean, said the facility will serve as a hub for education, research, and innovation.

“This facility symbolises the government’s relentless commitment to advance health and education. It serves as a powerful testament to the transformative investments that we all have a shared vision for a prosperous future for Guyana,” he said.

Construction of the building, carried out by China’s Shandong Highspeed Dejian Group Company Ltd, began in November 2023 under the Guyana Education Sector Improvement Plan.

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, Education Minister Priya Manickchand, diplomatic representatives, and university officials attended the commissioning ceremony. (Modified from DPI)

The building  that was commissioned 

A section of the gathering at the commissioning 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UG receives exhibition tickets, complimentary delegate passes for Energy Conference

Posted on by Kayleigh Carter

The University of Guyana (UG) has received 50 exhibition tickets and 20 complimentary delegate passes for students and lecturers to attend the Guyana Energy Conference & Supply Chain Expo from 18–21 February 2025.

Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Energy Conference, Kiana Wilburg, handed over the tickets and passes to UG Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin, at the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Turkeyen Campus, last Wednesday, a release said.

Chairman of the Guyana Energy Conference, Anthony J. Whyte, highlighted the importance of this initiative, emphasising that the next generation must be given a front-row seat to Guyana’s development and key industry players.

“I believe it is our duty to ensure our youths have a place at this event—not only to learn as much as they can about Guyana’s oil and gas industry but also to interact with some of the world’s leading conglomerates across 26 industries. These engagements can significantly help them understand potential career paths,” Whyte said.

He added: “I look forward to welcoming the UG cohort to what will be the largest and most dynamic conference in our history. May they seize the learning opportunities that await them from 18–21 February 2025.”

Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Martin expressed appreciation to the Guyana Energy Conference for the tickets and passes, noting that students and lecturers are eager to participate in the event.

The Guyana Energy Conference team thanked the University of Guyana in advance for its participation, the release noted.