Guyana earned US$1.7 billion in exports to the United States in 2021, US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch revealed during a celebration in observance of the US 246th independence anniversary and 56 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The US diplomat highlighted that the oil and gas sector is largely responsible for the “whopping” US$1.7 billion in earnings.
“As important as the oil and gas sector has been to those numbers, US companies are also partnering in infrastructure, agriculture, health care, education services and tourism,” the US Ambassador said.
Guyana exports non-monetary gold, fish and shellfish, bauxite, lumber and wood along with household goods to the US.
It was also noted that a total of US$565 million was earned in goods imported from the US to Guyana.
Ambassador Lynch said the US stands ready to partner with Guyana on its food and energy security.
“We applaud Guyana’s vision to work on this issue and to be the breadbasket for the region, and the US is ready to partner in this regard.”
President Dr. Irfaan Ali has been praised for his proposals to cut the Caribbean’s massive food import bill and boost regional food production.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Lynch noted that several interlocking crises are impacting the daily lives of people around the world. These issues, she explained, are compelling leaders to focus on long-term disruptions caused by climate change, the pandemic, and mass migration – all of which are being further exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“These are complex issues that no country can solve alone. These are problems that require partners to come together to discuss, to debate and to solve,” Ambassador Lynch told the gathering of politicians, civil society and members of the diplomatic community.
She said like the US, sovereignty, democracy, pandemic management, migration, climate change energy and food security are issues that are also important to Guyana.
During his remarks, Dr Ali endorsed the Ambassador’s message and echoed similar sentiments as it relates to cooperation between the two countries.
“We are pleased to associate ourselves with this founding character of the United States of America, upholding freedom and democracy is an important attribute and duty,” the President said.
President Ali also acknowledged the valuable contributions Guyanese nationals have made and continue to make to the peace and prosperity of the US.
He said the US has been a longstanding supportive development partner of Guyana and the Caribbean and this was renewed at the recent Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles, California.
President Ali said he held long and fruitful conversations with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during his time at the summit.
“I have reinforced our commitment to working as hard as we can in areas like climate change, food security and transnational crime.”
Those engagements, he revealed were not only fruitful but brought immediate action on many fronts by the US government.
Guyana continues to benefit from education, human resource development, health, innovation and entrepreneurship, and security from the US.
The US recently concluded a critical security port training with the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Revenue Authority, the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit, the Maritime Administration, and Coast Guard.
The training, which was done in collaboration with the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, provided the tools to strengthen container protocols and increase knowledge of narcotics smuggling typologies.
