CHAIRMAN of the United States Export-Import (EXIM) Bank John Jovanovic has lauded President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s leadership, describing his vision for Guyana and the wider Western Hemisphere as transformative.

Jovanovic shared his views following a high-level meeting at State House during his recent visit to Guyana.

The US EXIM Chair said the engagement with the Head of State and Cabinet underscored the strength of the growing partnership between the two countries.

He said that he and his team were in Guyana visiting President Ali and the Cabinet to advance key initiatives on the Guyanese-American relationship.

“And every time I’m with President Ali,” he said, “his enthusiasm, his creativity, his brilliance, his vision for Guyana and the Western Hemisphere is contagious.”

He added: “We’re so grateful to have a great partner in Georgetown, and a great partnership with the Guyanese people.”

The EXIM Chairman highlighted that the United States is keen on deepening collaboration with Guyana, particularly as the country positions itself as a key player in regional development.

“And we hope that we can build a Western Hemisphere together that’s safe, prosperous and secure,” he said.

Against this backdrop, he also pointed to the importance of ongoing and future investment initiatives, noting that the delegation’s visit to project sites was intended to send a strong signal to global investors.

“Visiting the project site this morning was very important. We hope that it sends a very clear message to investors all around the world that Guyana is open for business, and that the big red carpet that President Ali has rolled out is wide open for partnership and for great investment,” he stated.

During the visit, other EXIM officials highlighted progress on key infrastructure initiatives, including the gas-to-energy project, which they noted is enhancing electricity access and supporting Guyana’s development agenda.

Those officials also pointed to new areas of collaboration, including potential support for deepwater port development, as part of broader efforts to strengthen economic ties and expand infrastructure.