ALBEIT a relatively short trip, the official visit of President, Dr Irfaan Ali and his high level team to Washington DC culminated into a rather packed agenda of public engagements with renowned think tanks, and meeting with federal government officials and private sector representatives. The President also took the time to engage the Guyanese diaspora in the US. There is no need to guess what Guyana’s goal is as the messaging and talking points are consistent in and out of Guyana.

There is, as has hardly ever been seen before, an immaculate blending of Guyana’s domestic and foreign policy initiatives. Central to this is the push for food and energy security and the blending of that security with the idea of prosperity for not only Guyana but the rest of the Caribbean and the Americas.

With the thrust into oil and gas, Guyana is using its global placement responsibly to remind the world that despite the advancement of petroleum, renewable energy must also form part of the conversation, and our people must be fed. But as President Ali has shown, and which has also been recognized by other leaders from around the world, his vision is for Guyana and our friends in the wider world.

While moving through Washington’s corridors of power, President Ali met Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Gregory Meeks. “To be quite frank, he is an individual that has a vision of how to make sure that tomorrow is better than today.

“Bringing all of the people of Guyana together, thinking with the vision of the economy in Guyan, working together collectively with various other countries in the forefront with reference to making sure that you deal with agriculture so that the people are not starving and hungry,” Congressman Meeks is quoted aptly as saying.

Most notable from the President’s Washington trip is the unlocking of US$2 billion for development here through an agreement between Guyana and the US Export-Import (EXIM) Bank. Speaking on the agreement, the Bank’s statement said: “The MoU includes several potential sectors in which projects may be identified, including, but not limited to, infrastructure (including roads and bridges); energy (including renewable energy and emission reduction); telecommunications (including wireless technologies); water treatment and sanitation (including technologies and infrastructure); and agriculture.”

Adding further context, the Bank said: “The MoU provides a framework within which financing can be provided by EXIM to advance developmental projects in Guyana while promoting the export of U.S. made goods and services.

“In this regard, the MoU provides a valuable mechanism for deepening the trade and economic ties between the two countries while advancing shared interests, especially following the launch of President Biden’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). PGII will mobilize $200 billion from the United States over the next five years to promote infrastructure development?in low- and middle-income countries.

“The initiative focuses on advancing sustainable projects with high standards across four key sectors, combatting the climate crisis, safeguarding global health and health security, accelerating technological transformation in the face of a growing digital divide, and advancing gender equity.”

Guyanese can rest assured that the future of this country is bright. In his engagements, Dr Ali also met with the US Secretary of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, US Undersecretary for Economy Growth, Energy and the Environment, Jose W. Fernandez, Senators Tim Kaine and Marco Rubio of the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, officials of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and a number of representatives of civil society organisations based in Washington DC.

It is clear that the global interest in Guyana is keen, for reasons that don’t require expounding in this editorial. What is more important to that global interest, however, is that through the vision of President Ali, Guyana has clearly set out its targets and ambitions which must be met with this prosperity boom, while at the same time leveraging its influence to extend that prosperity to our regional and hemispheric neighbours. This is a different time, and Guyana has entered its ‘main character’ phase.