–President Ali highlights

THE relationship between Guyana and the United Kingdom (UK) has “grown tremendously”, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said, noting that this growth extends beyond the economic sphere to include cultural ties and human capital development.
President Ali made these remarks on the podcast: The Rest Is Politics: Leading with Alastair Campbell, making him the first sitting President from the Americas to appear on the show. This podcast deals with British and global politics.
The President also praised the High Commissioner of the UK to Guyana, Jane Miller, for doing a good job at demonstrating the beauty of Guyana.
“I will say that our relationship with the UK has grown enormously, not only from a trade and economic perspective, from a people-to-people perspective, from a cultural perspective and from a human capital perspective,” he said.
The President further noted that Guyana is seeking to strengthen its ties with the developing world as a whole.
“We want to continue to work on this relationship; like our relationship with the US, our relationship with the Middle East, our relationship with the developing world, because we don’t want to find ourselves as part of the global problem. We want to use everything that is available before us to be part of the global solution,” the head of state said.
Trade between Guyana and the UK has grown substantially, and new opportunities for investment are emerging across multiple sectors.
President Ali pointed to collaboration between the two nations last year in the areas of infrastructure, shipping, logistics, agriculture, tourism, and transport services. These developments, he noted, have accelerated cooperation between the two countries, and expanded business opportunities.
Improved air connectivity has strengthened trade relations following the launch here of the Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), offering onward connections to 21 destinations in the UK, and more than 140 additional destinations worldwide.
Guyana has also been expanding access to additional destinations worldwide. Last year, it was recognised as the UK’s largest trading partner in the region; a point emphasised by British officials during a reception held in honour of His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean Jonathan Knott.

In his brief remarks, Knott recalled his visit to Guyana at the end of 2022, when an agreement was signed to create a supportive environment for greater business collaboration between the two countries.
He said: “Eighteen months later, and already I am seeing and experiencing a qualitative change in the relationship, with the frequency of how we are talking to each other.”
He further noted that during his current visit, there has been a notable shift in the nature of conversations taking place between partners. Meanwhile, Caribbean Regional Director for Trade, D’Jamila Ward highlighted the long-standing and enduring relationship between the UK and Guyana, rooted not only in political and diplomatic ties but also in trade and investment. She reported that trade between the two countries reached £1.9 billion by the end of the first quarter.
“This represents an increase of 17.7 per cent, or £282 million… This also makes Guyana the UK’s largest trading partner in the Caribbean, or all CARIFORUM member states, accounting for 34.3 per cent of all our trade,” she said.
Ward noted that while this is an impressive figure, it also presents an excellent opportunity for Guyana and the UK to forge even stronger partnerships, and further deepen their trading relationship. She emphasised that as Guyana continues to build a resilient economy, the UK should be seen as a valuable partner; whether through financing via UK Export Finance or other avenues.
“There’s much that we have already achieved, but there’s much to do. I want to reiterate that this is a great time to do business in Guyana,” Ward said.