Ambassador Lynch acknowledges; points to advancements in infrastructure, education and health
IN a recent online interview the outgoing United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, said that Guyana’s infrastructure, education system, and health care system are all experiencing significant growth.

“New roads are being built, there are new buildings going up, and there’s a lot happening in the infrastructure area… but there’s a lot happening in the education and health areas as well,” she said.

Ambassador Lynch related that while it might take some time for persons to actually see the development, they must be cognisant that development and changes do not happen overnight.

“I think change doesn’t always happen overnight, Some of these things that are being put into place will take years actually. It’s going to be with a lot of hard work too, and I think citizens need to know that they need to be a part of it,” she said.

The US Ambassador related that Guyana has a small population, so every citizen matters.
She urged persons to get educated and improve their skills so that they can adapt to the development that the country is experiencing.
“…take advantage of this new day in Guyana,” she said.
Additionally, Lynch said that during her time in Guyana, she, along with her team, has done solid and commendable work in three key areas: Security cooperation, governance and prosperity.

“I think with the great work of my team, which I’m so proud of, I have been able to do that. And we’ve really worked in three key areas: governance, prosperity and security co-operation. And I think we’ve done quite a bit,” she said.

The US Ambassador related that on the governance side, they have been able to help strengthen institutions such as the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and help Guyana to become a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Regarding prosperity, she said that the embassy has brought a lot of US businesses to Guyana and urged them to explore Guyana and all the opportunities available.
“We’ve gone from having a handful of US companies in Guyana to over a 100. Some of them are big, but a lot of small and medium. So, really kind of the engine of change here for Guyana and they’re all working with local firms, cooperating with them,” she said.

On the security front, Lynch said that they have deepened security co-operation, while working with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) offering opportunities for them to enhance their capacity.

Additionally, she mentioned the courses offered to the Disciplined Services, which would have helped to address issues such as corruption, trafficking and financial crimes.
When asked about the visits to Guyana by two Secretaries of State and whether the agreements signed are being fully enforced, she said that whatever was discussed during Mike Pompeo’s visit has been built on, and some are still in process.

“Like the catfish agreement you might be getting to. That is still under review with the department, the US Department of Agriculture, and specifically the Food Safety and Inspection Service, FSIS,” she said.

Lynch added: “What we’ve been able to do… is be able to put them, FSIS and the appropriate counterpart here in Guyana in a dialogue, so they can get the right paperwork across the finish line. But these things take some time. There was a military agreement that was signed, the Ship- rider Agreement that’s in play as well.”
Further, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office, she related, is fully functional.

“We have a full-time attaché and just this week, another agent arrived, so we are very happy,” she said.
The US Ambassador said that Guyana has been asking for additional help in the area because the country would like to get a handle on being a transit country for drugs.
“I know aerial interdiction is important to Guyana… [so is] marine interdiction. So having a full DEA unit is terrific and we are very happy about that,” she said.