GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Guyana says it will sign has signed a series of agreements with St. Kitts and Nevis when the Prime Minister of the twin island Federation, Dr. Terrance Drew, pays an official visit to the country.
President Irfaan Ali (left) and Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew at the CARICOM summit in St. Kitts and Nevis last weekPrime Minister Drew, who is also the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) chairman, has confirmed that he will lead a delegation to Guyana within weeks to formalise approximately seven areas of cooperation under the MOUs.
He said discussions between the two leaders have focused on strengthening collaboration to benefit the Guyanese community on the island and that the twin island Federation has implemented three amnesties to allow Guyanese individuals to regularise their status, while efforts are underway to accelerate residency and citizenship processes.
A Guyana government statement said that the two CARICOM countries are moving to bolster a broader development partnership covering food security, energy security, and education, among other areas.
“The historic relationship of our two countries must now take deeper roots and greater structure,” President Irfaan Ali said, noting that both governments “have decided that we will have an official development framework grounded in a number of MOUs.”
The agreements will also cover healthcare, security training, and technology, aiming to ensure the seamless movement of goods and services between both nations.
Ali, who returned here over the last weekend after attending the 50th CARICOM summit in Basseterre, said that as Guyana undergoes a major economic transformation, Guyana will serve as a driver for broader regional prosperity.
“Our energy strategy is … linked to ensuring that we have energy security in this region, ensuring that when we proceed to LPG and energy, that our off-takers would be the people and the countries in this region,” he said.
Ali said food security is a central pillar of this cooperation, and Guyana is positioning itself as a major regional agricultural supplier, leveraging its vast arable lands and freshwater resources.
On healthcare, President Ali outlined his government’s investments in building a world-class system. This includes the commissioning of six new regional hospitals with more to come, the ongoing construction of an oncology centre, and the development of a Level Five Paediatric and Maternal Hospital.
Two additional Level Five hospitals are planned, alongside new nursing schools integrated into global certification systems. President Ali revealed these programmes will also be made accessible to the wider Caribbean through digital platforms.
Education, which is now free at every level in Guyana, will also form part of the collaboration with President Ali noting the government’s scholarship programmes and indicated that mechanisms will be established to ensure that members of the diaspora and their children can benefit.
In the area of security and defence, Guyana will expand military and police training opportunities. This includes dedicated seats for citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis at Guyana’s internationally accredited police academy.
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is also developing a commercial wing. This initiative is designed to support national and regional supply chains, particularly in the trade of food and agricultural produce.
“One of the things that we are doing is to integrate that wing with the supply chain of CARICOM. And St. Kitts and Nevis will be one of the first areas that we want that collaboration, cooperation to be extended to,” Ali said.
President Ali also announced that a special team could be sent to St Kitts and Nevis to help members of the Guyana diaspora resolve passport processing backlogs and help with documentation.
