President Ali holds meeting with Barbados trade delegation

…as grouping sees potential for trade in construction aggregates with Guyana

A delegation from Barbados, in Guyana to explore opportunities for trade, paid a visit to Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and were so impressed with what they witnessed in the construction aggregate industry that they believe opportunities for trade lie right there.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill met the Barbados delegation, which was led by his Bajan counterpart Minister Dr William Duguid. During a meeting at the Watooka Guest House in Linden, Dr Duguid spoke of his observations and areas of opportunity in Guyana.
“I’m very happy to be here in Linden, in Guyana to do a fact-finding mission and look for opportunities for us to not only be able to invest, but to strengthen our trade relations between Guyana and Barbados. We’ve done a lot of travelling around in various locations, sawmills,” Duguid said.
“And we’re going to also see what is available here from a quarrying point of view. Looking for sources here for sand, for granite and crusher run for our road construction. And also looking for opportunities, when we get those commodities to Barbados, what we will then put on the barge or ship coming back then to Guyana.”
According to Duguid, one commodity Barbados could trade with Guyana is cement since the Caribbean island has a cement plant. Other possibilities include bitumen, which is used in road construction, once they can get the right chemicals.
“All the other opportunities to be able to strengthen our trade relations and develop stronger ties with our sisters and brothers in Guyana. And so far, we’ve seen lots of promise. And lots of opportunities for synergies in both nations. The way I see it, just like how the future of Guyana looks so bright, the future of our trade relations looks so bright as well that we have to wear shades,” Dr Duguid also said.
Meanwhile, Minister Edghill in his comments attributed the Barbados delegation’s presence in Guyana as testimony that the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and its ideals of greater integration are working.
“Secondly, not only that Caricom is working but when we have leaders that have the political will to engage and rise above past challenges and obstacles, we can get somewhere. We have seen that with President Ali and President Santokhi out of Suriname. And now this is the second demonstration of an engagement that started between President Ali and Prime Minister Mottley.”
“And here we are, at Cabinet level, Ministers exploring and following up on those discussions to ensure they become reality. Whatever we’re doing, we want to ensure it benefits all of our people. It must lend to the development of Caricom. It must strengthen the resolve that we have to make the Caribbean a zone that is free from poverty,” Minister Edghill said.
According to Edghill, the ultimate aim is to turn the Caribbean into a first world zone, with the commensurate standards. To this end, he noted the importance of continued collaborations between Caricom states.
The delegation’s visit was born from bilateral talks that took place between President Dr Irfaan Ali and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, earlier this month. President Ali himself met the delegation on Monday, at State House.
At Monday’s meeting, President Ali was accompanied by Minister within the Housing Ministry Susan Rodrigues and the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Elisabeth Harper.
Also part of the Barbados delegation which was led by Dr Duguid was of the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Permanent Secretary Timothy Maynard, Senior Housing Planner Kelly Hunte, National Housing Corporation General Manager Ian Gill, Chief Technical Officer Ian Foster and Planner Raymond Lorde.
The Barbados Investment and Development Corporation was also part of the delegation and was represented by its CEO, Mark Hill; Business Development Officer for Guyana, Sharon Walton; Director, Marina Taitt and Manager, Bio-Economy, Paul Waithe. (G3)