Guyana, Canada to sign historic sovereign loan to improve human services, social security

Guyana and Canada will sign an agreement for a sovereign loan programme this Sunday when Canada’s Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen visits, the Canadian High Commission announced on Thursday.

Guyana is the first country in the Western hemisphere to benefit from the Sovereign Loan programme which provides loans on concessional terms to eligible countries, tailored to their needs and priorities as they relate to poverty reduction and peace and security, the Canadian High Commission stated.

For Guyana, the High Commission noted that the will be utilised to improve social protection under the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security in the areas of digital transformation, old age pension, gender-based violence, persons living with disabilities and trafficking in persons.

Hussen is travelling with Assistant Deputy Minister for the Americas, Mr. Glen Linder.

They will be in Guyana from February 25-26 for several high-level engagements with the Government of Guyana and other partners, including the 46^th Regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean community (CARICOM), it was announced.