MIA MOTTLEY MOVES IN AS IMBERT IGNORES GUYANA

WHILE Finance Minister Colm Imbert was talking about the depressed state of the national economy, two Caricom leaders were actively collaborating on investments. 

Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley hosted Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali to discuss “an expanded programme of cooperation” aimed at “cutting through bureaucracy to achieve their objectives within the shortest possible time…” 

Mottley and Ali discussed advanced cooperation and investments in oil and gas, mining, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, tourism, hospitality, transportation, housing and water resources. 

“Significant attention” is being paid to working together to reduce the food import bill “as part of the overall regional food security plans,” Mottley said. 

A “monitoring mechanism” is to be set up to oversee the implementation of an action plan. 

Mottley and Ali urged their respective private sectors to become “more aggressive” in taking advantage of business opportunities. 

They spoke of moving forward with urgency. 

Ministers of both administrations held meetings “with a view to advancing” the decisions arrived at between both leaders. 

The talks took place on the margins of a session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), held in Barbados. 

Meanwhile, in a near-four hour budget address, Imbert ignored the tremendous opportunities in Guyana, which is on course to become the world’s fastest-growing economy, per capita. 

Both multinationals and local service companies in the Trinidad and Tobago energy sector have been setting up shop in Guyana. 

But there are no announced measures at the governmental level. 

By the way, there are no reports of a T&T presence at the important high-level UNCTAD talks.