According to President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, there is funding for projects, therefore ministers cannot complain. This will be noticed by society within the next two years. “Suriname is an import-dependent nation, thus we continue to consume excessive amounts of consumer goods. Additionally, a sizable quantity of investments, machinery, and other necessities are imported, according to the president.
“Smaller ships carrying less cargo will replace large ships as soon as they can no longer call at Suriname due to a narrow passage. Or they will place their cargo elsewhere and there will have to be paid extra to get products here with small boats and that extra cost will be passed on to the consumer with the result that they will pay more for the products. During covid, all freight rates have also increased, adding extra costs,” says the president.
“We have said we are going to reduce those costs and there are many aspects that contribute to that cost reduction. One is to ensure that the fairway reaches such a level that it must have a direct effect on the price, because more goods can arrive with larger ships, which means that the costs are lower. Oil & gas is also a challenge. As a country, you get a lot of investment from international oil companies and international companies in the form of port facilitation, but if they can’t get in, they invest in other countries. The risk was high, they intervened and investments are made with local companies. The plans have all been identified by different ministries. During the preliminary dialogue, stakeholders and organizations indicated what their priorities were and together a plan was developed with all activities for all sectors that can be financed,” the president notes.
“These are micro and medium-sized projects. The big projects are also there, but they will be carried out with financing from the private sector or other international financial institutions. During the preliminary consultations, society was promised that a monitoring team would be set up with representatives of society. According to the president, it will not take longer than two weeks for the monitoring team to be installed so that the programs that have been indicated can also be implemented and can also address the government. We give more involvement to society in the implementation of the projects and policies in the second half,” said the president.
