Agri programme likely to be cut, elections support ‘high priority’ amid Trump policy shifts – US Ambassador

The impact on US programmes in Guyana as a result of policy shifts in the Donald Trump administration is minimal, US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, said Thursday.

“Guyana is actually classified as a high income country so we didn’t have a lot of programmes happening here anyway so the impact is actually quite minimal and for the programmes we want to continue we currently have waivers submitted and we are hoping that those would be approved so we can recommence those programmes,” Theriot stated on the sidelines of an event held at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.

Theriot emphasised that they would like to see all programmes continue but the Trump administration have asked to prioritise programmes.

One such programme is related to elections.

“The high priority programme is our election support; we actually hadn’t commenced yet because we are waiting for that funding so we have requested that they give us as quickly as possible – approval.

“We want to give assistance to GECOM, we want to set up an election observation mission and we want to be as helpful as we can in Guyana’s democracy,” the Ambassador revealed.

Guyana is set to hold elections later this year with $7.3 billion allocated to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in the 2025 National Budget.

She further provided an example of a programme that may not continue.

“It’s called CAPA. It’s an agricultural project where we were helping to develop three different crops here in Guyana for export, some value added crops – one was West Indian cherries, one was coconut and the other was turmeric. So, I am not sure, it was a very small project, I think it was only 1 – 2 million dollars.

“It is likely that that project won’t continue, but of course, we have asked for exceptions,” Theriot said.

The Caribbean Agricultural Productivity Improvement Activity (CAPA) programme was created under the USAID funded Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC) programme. The CAPA project was designed to improve efficiency and reliability in food production, empowering farmers to better nourish their families, communities, and nations.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Theriot also addressed staffing changes at the US Embassy under the Trump administration where one Guyanese was sent on administrative leave.

“In Guyana, we had four local Guyanese staff and one American.

“The American staff member left for a new assignment in January before the new administration. Of the four Guyanese staff, one was on a contract and placed on administrative leave, but the remaining three are still fully employed and report to work every day,” Theriot said.