UG law faculty building gets fire escape
-three months after SN story
Three months after Stabroek News highlighted that the three-storey University of Guyana law faculty building did not have a fire escape, it now has one.
When Vice Chancellor Dr Paloma Mohamed Martin was asked about the absence of a fire escape in September last year, she said, “I would love all our buildings, including Stabroek News’ office and every public building in Guyana, to have fire escapes.”
She further explained that the buildings are regulated by their campus’s health and safety unit, saying, “We have a functional office of occupational health and safety that manages safety and compliance on our campuses.” The law building was refurbished in 2019. Stabroek News asked why a fire escape was not installed during the repairs of the building.
She said, “The refurbishment on the law building was to replace the roof and deal with wear and tear from being locked down for two plus years.”
A delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) including Deputy Managing Director (DMD) Kenji Okamura and Executive Director, Afonso Bevilaqua, yesterday met with Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, a release from the Ministry of Finance stated.
The IMF team is currently on a highlevel two-day visit to Guyana where they will meet with President Irfaan Ali and other government officials as well as visit a number of developmental projects around the country, the release informed.
Dr Singh who is hosting the IMF delegation in Guyana, was accompanied by a team from the Ministry of Finance, while the IMF’s officials were accompanied by Alternate Executive Director, Reshma Mahabir; Mission Chief, Alina Carare; and Advisor to the Deputy Managing Director, Chad Steinberg.
During yesterday’s meeting, the finance minister emphasised that government values the longstanding relationship with the IMF, while providing an overview of economic developments over the years and prospects looking ahead. He also spoke of government’s policies and programmes to enhance the lives of the country’s citizens while containing risks during this current period of its stewardship of the country’s finances to improve all sectors of the economy.
In its December 2023 Article IV Consultation report, the IMF had commended the Government of Guyana for economic management, including the implementation of policies and initiatives geared at transforming Guyana’s economy. The findings were published following an official IMF mission visit to Guyana in September of that year.
According to the release, in its findings, the IMF had highlighted that Guyana’s real GDP is expected to continue to grow rapidly, and that Guyana achieved 62.3 per cent real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, the highest in the world in 2022. It is estimated that Guyana’s economy should record a 38.4 per cent real GDP growth rate this year, while the country’s growth should continue with an expansion of an expected 26.6 percent in 2024.
The IMF had also noted that in relation to inflationary pressures, government had introduced a suite of measures in 2022 and 2023, which contributed to a decline in the inflation rate in 2023. The Fund had also reported that government’s current expansionary fiscal policy stance is appropriate, given the country’s development needs and is appropriately balanced by monetary policy.
Precautionary
While it noted that the economy has tripled in size since the start of oil production, fundamentals remain sound and there are no signs of inflationary pressures, the IMF had last December advised the government to establish a precautionary stabilization fund in the medium to long term as a hedge against shocks.
The recommendation contained in one of the annexes to its recent country report following its Article IV Consultation with