DURING his first meeting with President David Granger, United States Ambassador Perry Holloway has pledged his commitment to working with the Government of Guyana in the areas of crime and security and countering the narco-trade.Following the meeting at the Ministry of the Presidency on Thursday, the ambassador expressed his admiration for the work President Granger has done, both over the course of his career and what he has done since he took office as President of Guyana.
“I think that this is a historic time in Guyana. I told him that you have the 50th anniversary of Independence; you have potential oil production occurring in the country in the coming years, which will definitely change the economy; you had successful fair, free and violence free elections and a transition of power,” Ambassador Holloway said.
Further, with regard to Guyana becoming an oil-producing country, the U.S. Ambassador lauded the administration for its plans to establish the Sovereign Wealth Fund. He, however, noted that a lot of planning will have to be done in terms of setting up the Fund and establishing priority areas.
The ambassador added that one of the challenges the new government will encounter is the process for the setting up of the Sovereign Wealth Fund. He noted that a lot of thought will need to go into the decision-making on priority areas; whether it is infrastructure, education or other areas, and the mechanisms that will be put in place to account for changes in those areas over time.