Guyana, UK talk deepening collaborations in key development areas

Building on strong bilateral relations, Guyana and the United Kingdom (UK) are exploring strengthening their collaboration in several key developmental areas.
President Dr Irfaan Ali recently held a meeting with the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Rt Hon Ed Miliband, who was in Guyana during the two-day State Visit of His Majesty King Charles III.

Miliband and his team were accompanied by the British High Commissioner to Guyana, HE Joseph Fisher, during the high-level engagement with President Ali and other senior Government officials on Friday in Georgetown.
“I held a productive engagement with the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband. Our discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in education, healthcare, human development and climate action, including Guyana’s leadership role in the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership (FCLP).” President Ali stated.
The Guyanese leader and the British Foreign Secretary also reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening the Guyana–UK partnership and advancing sustainable development across the Caribbean region.
Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd; Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat; and Minister of Aviation and Public Utilities, Deodat Indar, were also part of the meeting.
This high-level engagement comes as Guyana and UK mark 60 years of economic ties, which was celebrated during His Majesty’s recent visit on Thursday and Friday.
Currently, Guyana is the UK’s largest trading partner in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with bilateral trade reaching approximately £2.2 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026. Commercial engagement has been supported by stronger links between the two countries. Visa-free visitor travel for Guyanese nationals to the UK was introduced in November 2022, followed by the launch of British Airways services between London and Georgetown in March 2023.

The British Chamber of Commerce Guyana (BritCham Guyana) was also established in 2023, providing a dedicated platform to strengthen bilateral trade, investment and business links. The UK has reiterated its commitment to further deepen this relationship through trade, investment and partnerships that benefit both countries and create more opportunities for businesses and investors.
In fact, this was demonstrated when the UK Export Finance (UKEF) – Britain’s official export credit agency – raised its financing capacity for Guyana to some £3.5 billion.
This increase came incrementally over the last five years, moving from £750 million in 2021 to £2.1 billion in 2024, then to £3 billion in October 2025 and now at £3.5 billion.
Guyana has already capitalised on the UKEF financing to support the construction of the new 150,000 square-foot Arrivals Terminal at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). With an investment of approximately US$65.5 million, the UK is partially funding this project that is being executed by British company Mowlem.
The new terminal is designed to process 1,000 passengers per hour, expandable to 1,500, with annual airport capacity increasing to up to 2.5 million passengers. The wider redevelopment will also separate arrivals and departures and introduce improved passenger-processing and baggage systems, alongside additional retail and lounge facilities.
Moreover, the UK has also provided support for critical infrastructure upgrade across Guyana through other funding agencies such as the UK Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF), which is partially financing for the upgrade of the 121 kilometres all-weather highway from Linden to Mabura Hill. This is the first phase of the Linden to Lethem corridor and is one of the most important trade routes in northern South America.
President Ali had previously hinted at tapping into the UKEF funding to possibly fund the second phase of this all-weather road upgrade to Lethem.
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Pic saved as: UK meeting 1
Caption: Pic saved as: UK meeting 2
Caption: President Dr Irfaan Ali and his team discussed deepening Guyana-UK bilateral collaborations with British Foreign Secretary and his delegation