–other crucial areas after signing new agreements
GUYANA and Jamaica on Friday formalised a new phase of cooperation by signing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) spanning agriculture, housing, defence and security, and financial services at State House in Georgetown.
During remarks after witnessing the signing of the official documents by Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd, and Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson-Smith, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said the engagement went far beyond the formal signing ceremony, praising the “enormous work” undertaken by both sides not only to produce the MoUs, but to fully understand the nature of shared prosperity.
The Jamaican Delegation, led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, arrived in Guyana on Thursday.
In over roughly 48 hours, the two delegations had identified a common path in many areas, built on shared challenges, priorities and aspirations.
“Both of us share the ambition of having efficient governance, efficient implementation, and delivering services where our people can enjoy the experience of having those services, that allow the citizens to feel as if they are valued, and that is important for both of us, and we are both committing on a pathway to the use of technology to advance this cause,” President Ali said.
He noted that Guyana will establish a working group to ensure the implementation and greater integration of technical support among the two nations.
“We have to scope our competitive advantage, your infrastructure and our infrastructure… We’re committed to having a working group examine this closely, and to come up with recommendations and options as to how we can collaborate,” President Ali said.
The agriculture MoU aims to promote collaboration on food and nutrition security through institutional and human resource development, research and innovation, education and extension, trade facilitation, and support for the region’s “25 by 2025 +5” food production target.
A separate defence and security MoU between the Guyana Defence Force and the Jamaica Defence Force establishes a framework for capacity building, information sharing, multinational operations in support of peace and stability, and regular bilateral consultations on defence policy.
In addition, an MoU on financial services seeks to enhance financial infrastructure and systems through cooperation on the development and modernisation of financial services, as well as institutional strengthening and capacity building in the sector, with officials stressing that implementation of these commitments has already begun.
The Guyanese leader highlighted energy, security, tourism, financial services, agriculture, housing, education and healthcare as priority areas for cooperation, backed by newly signed MoUs and additional agreements expected to emerge over time.
He also disclosed that the players in the local banking sector here in Guyana have signalled their intention to form consortiums with Jamaican developers to support housing initiatives.
“This morning, I had a call from local bankers, and they’re ready to form a consortium between Guyanese developers, Jamaican developers, and to look at how they can work with you in terms of housing. So, already we are seeing this deep commitment and interest from the private sector emerging,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Holness described the MoUs as only a fraction of the potential cooperation now on the table, noting that the breadth of the discussions went far beyond what could be formalised during the visit.
Holness praised the Ali administration’s overhaul of the public sector, saying it was well aligned with the rapid growth Guyana is experiencing.
“We particularly share a focus on the efficiency of our public sector, and I particularly admire your president in that regard,” he said, noting that he had seen many of the changes in motion in Guyana, and would take back ideas to stimulate progress in Jamaica.
