— as Ghana’s high-level delegation wraps up visit to Guyana

GUYANA and Ghana, on Tuesday, officially signed bilateral agreements that will pave the way for the further strenghtening of co-operation between the two nations, and guide relations between sister agencies in the areas of oil and gas and investment.

During a signing ceremony held at the Marriott Hotel, representatives from the two countries signed a framework agreement on co-operation; a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for co-operation in the petroleum sector, between Guyana’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ghana Petroleum Commission (GPC); and a MoU on mutual co-operation in investment promotion between Guyana’s Office for Investment (GO-Invest) and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC).

Meanwhile, at another signing ceremony also held at Marriott, the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) and the GPC signed a MoU, to provide a framework for collaboration, and the exchange of information and sharing of resources between those two agencies.
The signing of the agreements marked the climax of a three-day mission to Guyana by an 18-member delegation from the Republic of Ghana, which was led by that nation’s Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

Dr. Bawumia’s visit to Guyana followed a trip by Vice-President of Guyana, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, in October, for discussions on topics of mutual concern. The signing of the agreements were overseen by Dr. Bawumia and Dr. Jagdeo.

For the framework agreement on co-operation, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd, signed on behalf of Guyana, while Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thomas Mbomba, signed for his country.

Minister Mbomba also signed on behalf of the Ghana Petroleum Commission for the MoU for co-operation in the petroleum sector, which was signed by Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, on the Guyana side. GO-Invest’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Peter Ramsaroop and GIPC Chairman, Alex Dadey, signed the MoU on mutual co-operation in investment promotion.

In the MoU between the GOGEC and the GPC, GOGEC President, Manniram Prashad, and GPC Chief Executive Officer, Egbert Faibille Jnr, were the signatories.

Ghana’s 18-member delegation, which included private sector representatives, spent the time here engaged in high-level bilateral discussions at both governmental and private sector levels, including engagements with President Dr Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, and Dr. Jagdeo.

Dr Bawumia and Dr Jagdeo, would have both worked on the framework agreement, which examines how engagements, such as shared prosperity and common outlook, are going to be made.

Vice-President Bawumia also meet with members of the Ghanaian diaspora, paid a visit to the University of Guyana, Guyana’s majestic Kaieteur Falls and was hosted at an Official Dinner at State House.

Arriving on Saturday afternoon at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Dr. Bawumia and his delegation were greeted by PM Phillips, and other high-level Guyanese officials, including Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper.

On Sunday, Dr. Bawumia and his delegation visited the Kaieteur National Park in Region Eight to view the majestic Kaieteur Falls.

The Ghanaian delegation was chaperoned by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsible for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, and Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond. Following the tour, the team rested and later attended a State Dinner hosted by President Ali, at his official residence, State House.

After the dinner, President Ali and Vice-President, Dr Bawumia, along with other officials, did a meet-and-greet along Main Street, Georgetown.

On Monday, there was a meeting with the Ghana delegation at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). During that meeting, President Ali highlighted that the ensuing discussions at the governmental and private sector levels between Guyana and Ghana are aimed at bolstering bilateral relations and generating business-investment opportunities.

The Head of State said that the Government of Guyana is pleased to be part of the process that not only seeks to integrate the people of the two countries but, more importantly, to integrate the two local private sectors.

This linkage, the President added, will be important in finding common ground where mutual opportunities can be examined and joint strategies built.

Also on Monday,  Dr. Bawumia met with Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG), Dr. Paloma Mohamed-Martin, to identify areas where universities in the two countries could collaborate.

Minister Todd was a part of that meeting, which was held at UG’s Turkeyen campus.

Among areas open for collaboration are the environment, technology, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, and humanities, as well as the oil and gas industry. On the hydrocarbon industry, Ghana has already begun offering support to Guyana through its Natural Resources Fund (NRF) and with local content legislation.