-Minister Mustapha tells diaspora in Suriname

WITH Guyana on the cusp of massive development, Guyanese in the diaspora are continuously being urged to return home, not only to invest, but to benefit from what their homeland has to offer.

It was only on Saturday that Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha and Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud met with Guyanese living in neighbouring Suriname to discuss the many opportunities that Guyana has to offer.

A press statement issued by the Department of Public Information (DPI) indicated that since the 1970s, some 25,000 Guyanese have settled in the Dutch-speaking republic, contributing extensively to several sectors including agriculture, fishing, construction and even the oil-and-gas sector.

Foreign Secretary Persaud said the intention of the outreach to Suriname was to update the diaspora of the countless opportunities that exist in Guyana.

During the meeting, Guyanese were also updated on the key developments taking place in Guyana, as well as the many opportunities that exist for them to contribute to the country’s ongoing economic expansion.

Minister Mustapha in his remarks, zeroed in on the advancements in the agricultural sector, including the wide-ranging opportunities for local farmers, as well as the government’s effective approach to tackling the rising cost of food, largely brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently, the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The Foreign Secretary, according to the DPI, said that contributions from the Guyanese diaspora are critical to acceleration of the development agenda set out by President Dr Irfaan Ali.

Moreover, Persaud emphasised the opportunities that have since been secured for Guyanese, by way of the Local Content Act, which serves as further incentive for persons in the diaspora.

Outside of the landmark legislation, the Guyanese community in Suriname was also updated on the many other incentives to which they can have access should they choose to return home. Many of these benefits are components of the government’s Re-migration Scheme.

Ambassador H.E. Keith George, was also part of the engagement and will be coordinating through his staff for follow-up interactions.

It should be noted that even as Guyana encourages the return of its people from Suriname, the two countries have been working to solidify relations at various levels.

Within the past year, extensive engagements between President Ali and his Surinamese counterpart, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, have managed to chart the way forward with a cooperation agenda, which outlines partnerships in a number of areas including agriculture, energy, the environment, forestry and infrastructural integration.

The latter is slated to be advanced with the construction of the Corentyne River Bridge, which is expected to “greatly enhance trade and economic activities and further cement human and cultural ties among our peoples,” President Ali said recently.

The Head of State had also pointed to the importance of private sector cooperation to the success of Guyana’s economic agenda.

Since then, there has been the establishment of a Private Sector Business Council, a 10-member body comprising private sector representatives of both Suriname and Guyana.

The first official council meeting was held on March 16, and saw the crafting of an agenda for the next year. The next meeting is set for May 2022 in Guyana, after which bi-monthly meetings will be held.

The Business Council will have joint leadership with Mr. Bryan Renten representing Suriname for the first six months, after which the Chairman of Guyana’s private sector, Paul Cheong, will take over.

Another major component of the Guyana-Suriname relationship is the establishment of an energy corridor shared with Brazil.