— British High Commissioner says

WITH Guyana already hailed as the United Kingdom’s largest trading partner in the Caribbean, British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, has revealed that UK trade into Guyana has tripled over the last three years.

Miller made the disclosure while speaking on a panel at the recently concluded International Business Conference (IBC), which focused on strategic partnerships for regional development.

The High Commissioner noted that the UK’s long-standing partnership with Guyana has centred on several priority areas, including business and trade, climate and environment, and democracy and governance.

“Over the last three years, we have tripled our trade from the UK into Guyana… why has it tripled? It’s been multiple things, obviously Guyana’s economic growth [and] the UK has had a long relationship with Guyana,” she said.

Despite the historical ties, Miller emphasised that the UK has taken a proactive approach to strengthening its relationship with Guyana in recent years.

She highlighted a number of initiatives that have deepened collaboration between the two nations, such as visa-free travel for Guyanese to the UK, the establishment of direct flights and the creation of a British Chamber of Commerce to support bilateral business engagement.

Adding to these developments, the High Commissioner announced that the UK recently increased its export finance support to Guyana from £2.1 billion to £3 billion, reflecting growing confidence in the country’s economy.

“That amount is based on statistics, on Guyana’s economy… we would never increase our ceiling to a level the country couldn’t borrow from. So, it’s purely what we think is sustainable,” Miller explained.

The expansion of the UK Export Finance (UKEF) facility aligns with Guyana’s rapid economic growth and the government’s ongoing efforts to ramp up infrastructure projects and attract foreign investment.

The enhanced support is expected to enable greater collaboration in priority sectors identified by the Government of Guyana over the next five years.

Trade between the two nations has been surging. As of last year, officials reported that UK-Guyana trade totalled £1.9 billion by the end of the first quarter, representing a 17.7 per cent increase and accounting for 34.3 per cent of all UK-CARIFORUM trade.