OVER the last year, Guyana has conducted a successful foreign policy with relations with other countries focused on economic or socio-economic goals except in the case of Venezuela, where it was territorial.  Our most recent foreign policy activity centred on strengthening relations with our CARICOM fellow member, Barbados.

In early October the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) held its meeting in Barbados and President Irfaan Ali, and Prime Minister Mia Mottley accompanied by their advisers, met on the sidelines and arrived at a number of constructive and far-reaching agreements.  The quality and number of agreements at which they arrived in so short a time  are a tribute to the outstanding capabilities of both leaders.

The first agreement we will mention is their strong commitment to collaborating in developing the tourism industry in both countries.  Barbados is a sun-and-sand destination, while Guyana’s strength and commitment is to eco-tourism and both types of tourism complement each other.  They agreed to many initiatives  that will result in greater profitability for this symbiotic relationship:

Both countries will do joint marketing and will promote Guyana and Barbados as a common destination.  They will exchange 45 minutes of airtime in their respective countries promoting their tourism product.  Guyana’s tourism is expected to grow exponentially with the joint promotion, but more so with the number of brand- name hotels currently being constructed and those in the pipeline and this will require thousands of workers.

Barbados, which has a world-class hospitality training programme , has undertaken to train 6000 Guyanese workers per year through distance learning and exchange programmes to man the new developments.  President Ali summed up the impact of the Barbados training: “We have a lot of investment that is coming in the hospitality sector and we need to have the technical capacity and human resources to manage and to work in those hotels. . . So the need for training is immediate.”

Another area of even greater importance than tourism is agriculture and this will encompass increased production of food;  removal of barriers to trade and the possibility of a Guyana/Barbados food terminal;  transport logistics and efficiency;  agroprocessing facilities;  a joint food-sustainability plan;  and exchange of technicians between the Ministries of Agriculture to facilitate smooth and efficient transaction flow.  A Bajan would be stationed in the Guyana Ministry of Agriculture and a Guyanese in the Barbados ministry, so that they could deal directly with their counterparts, thus removing bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Further, the opportunities in quarrying, feedstock, livestock and limestone were explored.  Specific port spaces in Guyana and Barbados will be identified to reduce transportation costs, improve efficiency, enhance trade and deliver goods at cheaper prices to the consumer.

Another novel and important area of cooperation identified was the establishment of a gold-market hub in Barbados, so as to add value to Guyana’s gold by tapping into the tourist population.  President Ali, who was among the first to espouse this idea, succinctly described it: “Some cruise liners go specifically to some islands because of their gold market hub.  So that is what we are trying to create.  Barbados is a major cruise destination and we are working on the possibility of adding value to Guyana’s gold and creating a gold market hub in Barbados.”

President Ali and Prime Minister Mottley committed themselves to a timeframe so that the fruits of the partnership could be enjoyed by the populations of both countries in the foreseeable future.  The timeframes are achievable, since groundwork had already begun by the high-level Barbados delegation which recently visited and engaged in  technical work on the programmes agreed by the two leaders.  The delegation looked at infrastructural projects and housing sites and met several ministers and government officials.

Despite the infamous “Guyana bench” which existed at the Grantley Adams Airport during the 1970s and ’80s and which Guyanese and Bajans would like to forget, relations between Guyana and Barbados had always been close and familial.  Thousands of Bajans came to work in the sugar industry after Emancipation and after 1900, many qualified and able Bajans served in the Public Service and in the teaching profession.  Many prominent Guyanese families have Barbadian roots and during the 1970s and 80s, when Guyana was in economic depression, hundreds of Guyanese found employment in the island.  Guyanese also remember with gratitude the help Barbados rendered during the political crises of the last few years and welcome the growth of closer economic and social relations.