The Honourable Hugh Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, today, met a visiting delegation from the United Kingdom to discuss Guyana-UK Bilateral Trade Relations. The Delegation comprised of Her Majesty’s Deputy Trade Commissioner (HMDTC) for Latin America and the Caribbean Department for International Trade (DIT) Mr. Spencer Mahoney, the High Commissioner of the UK to Guyana, Her Excellency Jane Miller, the Caribbean Regional Director (DIT) Ms. Laura Ferguson and the Guyana Country Director of the Department of International Trade at the High Commission, Mr. Sherwyn Naughton.
During the engagement, Minister Todd highlighted that the political agenda of the Government of Guyana and the United Kingdom aligns well as both administrations firmly uphold the pillars of democracy, good governance, and transparency. Furthermore, the Foreign Minister informed that the Government of Guyana is steadfast in its quest to create an environment that is conducive to business, as it recognizes the importance of ‘ease of business’ in attracting investors to Guyana. In this regard, Minister Todd emphasized the importance of the removal of visa restrictions to facilitate the travel of Guyanese to the UK to develop business relations. He also alluded to priority areas for investment, such as alternative energy, agriculture and agro-processing, infrastructure, air transport, housing, ICT, and pharmaceuticals.
The Deputy Trade Commissioner, Mr. Mahoney, commended the Government of Guyana for being one of the first Caribbean states to sign and ratify the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). In addition, he expressed the keen interest of the Government of the UK to enhance trade relations with Guyana, and informed that his visit will be followed by an Official Trade Mission in February 2022.
Further, the Caribbean Regional Director (DIT) Ms. Laura Ferguson, alluded to the opportunities that exist for UK support, especially in the area of export promotion.
In concluding, the officials also noted the importance of ensuring that trade relations are aligned with Guyana’s local content policy.
The visiting Delegation will be meeting with several Ministers of Government and the Private Sector during the coming days.
