Guyana, Jamaica sign four agreements to deepen cooperation in energy, security & finance

By Kurt Campbell

Guyana and Jamaica on Friday signed four major agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation in key sectors including energy, defence and security, agriculture and financial services, as both countries pledged to build a broader strategic partnership.

The agreements, signed during Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ official visit to Guyana, include a Protocol amending the 1995 Agreement on Economic, Technical and Cultural Cooperation, along with Memoranda of Understanding on agriculture, defence and security, and the development of financial services.

The updated protocol expands cooperation into several new areas, including energy, defence and security, financial services and capital markets, housing and infrastructure, disaster response, climate resilience, and science, technology and innovation.

Energy emerged as a major focus of discussions, with President Irfaan Ali announcing that the two countries will establish a working group to explore collaboration in the sector.

“The opportunities are enormous,” President Ali said, noting that Guyana and Jamaica will examine ways to leverage their respective infrastructure and competitive advantages to benefit both countries and the wider Caribbean. He revealed that “some exciting ideas” are already under discussion.

Prime Minister Holness said energy was among several sectors discussed during the visit, alongside security, tourism, agriculture, housing and financial services.

The defence and security agreement provides a framework for expanded cooperation in areas such as capacity building, cybersecurity, intelligence sharing, defence training and strategic dialogue. Ali said security must be viewed beyond traditional policing and include the protection of financial systems and critical infrastructure, while praising Jamaica’s progress in tackling crime.

The financial services agreement is expected to promote closer collaboration between the two countries’ banking, insurance and capital markets, as Guyana continues to modernise its financial architecture to support its rapidly expanding economy.

Meanwhile, the agriculture agreement aims to strengthen food and nutrition security through research, innovation, technology, trade facilitation and greater participation by young people and women, while supporting CARICOM’s regional food security agenda.

Both leaders said the four agreements represent only the beginning of a much wider partnership. Holness noted that the signed documents capture only a portion of the extensive discussions held over the past two days, while President Ali said additional collaboration is already being explored in tourism, healthcare, education, housing, labour mobility and digital government.

“We believe that we can build a stronger, resilient and sustainable partnership,” President Ali said.