Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Rawle Lucas has been appointed the Executive Director for Economic Cooperation and Global Trade Investment within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Speaking with Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday, Lucas said his appointment became effective on March 1 and will see him examining “important matters” relative to the international community and the roles Guyana is required to play.

Lucas said his focus is currently on a number of issues but mentioned the Anti-money laundering and countering terrorism, “major” Trade and Investment issues and the World Trade Organisation, and Intellectual Property Rights.

He explained that much work is to be done at the local level to demonstrate that issues of corruption are being tackled. That aside, he said Guyana’s image needs to be a positive one and efforts are being made to ensure that Guyana is viewed differently.
Lucas intends to examine the “contributions that the region would make with regard to those matters”. According to him, addressing the identified issues is critical to the country’s economic advancement.

He disclosed that an internal meeting will be held on Friday to discuss the focus of his office. He said work has begun on the strategic plans but those plans will not be completed by Friday. Lucas remains the Chairman of the Board of Directors of GRA and noted that his new posted is just an “added responsibility to my portfolio.”

Lucas, a financial industry accountant with strong analytical skills has been popular for his economic analyses over the years. He currently lectures in Public Financial Management and Public Program Planning at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus and has been doing so since January 2013. Lucas also served as a Senior Foreign Service Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before leaving Guyana in 1991.

He received a Bachelors in Social Science Degree in Economics from the University of Guyana, A Bachelors of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland College Park and his Masters in International Affairs from Carleton University.