By Stabroek News

Copyright stabroeknews

Dear Editor,

Guyana’s economic development is advancing at breakneck speed, marked by impressive strides in infrastructure such as roads, bridges, airports, hotels, and transport corridors. These investments are significantly enhancing connectivity, facilitating trade, and fostering regional integration.

Initiatives like the Integrated Transport Corridors Project aim to improve climate resilience and unlock growth oppor-tunities in agriculture, tourism, and indus-try. The physical transformation of the nation is unmistakable and promises lasting economic benefits.

However, this “bricks and mortar” pro-gress starkly contrasts with the challenges facing our socio-economic and human capital ecosystem. Despite improvements in our Human Development Index, currently around 0.776 and categorized as high human development, critical gaps remain.

The labour force size and skill levels have not kept pace with rapid economic expansion, causing labour shortages that hinder sustainable growth. Poverty, inequality, and gaps in education and healthcare infrastructure persist, limiting the lived benefits for many Guyanese. The pros of our infrastructure boom are clear:

•Enhanced economic diversification and competitiveness

•Improved transportation reducing costs and expanding markets

•Job creation directly and indirectly through better connectivity

Yet, the cons of lagging human capital development are equally pressing:

•Labour shortages risk slowing or derailing projects

•An education system not fully aligned with new industry needs

•Healthcare capacity strains that impact workforce health and produc-tivity

To ensure that our human development index moves apace with infrastructure, coordinated programmes and policies must be prioritized. Key measures include:

1. Finalizing and implementing the comprehensive human capital strategy focused on addressing labour shortages, skills gaps, and diaspora engagement.

2. Strengthening education and vocational training to align curricula with emerging economic sectors and technology needs.

3. Expanding healthcare training and infrastructure to support a healthier and more productive workforce.

4. Enhancing social protection measures to reduce poverty and inequality effects on development outcomes.

5. Building robust data systems to monitor human resource gaps and match workforce skills with investment projects efficiently.

Guyana’s future depends not only on physical infrastructure but equally on building a resilient, skilled, and healthy population. Strategic alignment of human capital development with our impressive infrastructural growth will enable inclusive, sustainable prosperity for all Guyanese.

Hemdutt Kumar