“We are proud of what you have achieved” – Ashni Singh to Diaspora

…urges them to visit, witness national development firsthand

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, on a four-day visit to the United States (US), met with members of the Guyanese diaspora during which he expressed pride in their achievements and urged them to visit Guyana to see the ongoing development for themselves.

The minister addressed the Guyanese diaspora during the Caribbean Day celebration in Schenectady, New York. According to him, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government is proud of their achievements, ranging from the field of business to the realm of politics.
“It fills us with pride to see our Guyanese brothers and sisters establish businesses and grow their businesses. It fills us with pride to see our Guyanese brothers and sisters improve their own well-being, build their own prosperity and most importantly, it fills us with pride and love to see that no matter what new connections they have developed in their new homes and no matter how successfully they do in their new homes, their love for Guyana remains strong,” the Minister said.
It was pointed out by Singh that many of these Guyanese migrants have risen to elected office, including being elected to City Councils, State assemblies and other elected and legislative positions in their adopted countries.
“In today’s modern world, we have seen how our Guyanese brothers and sisters have travelled to every corner of the world and to the United States of America and especially New York and cities like Schenectady and elsewhere.”
“Those of us in Guyana and in particular, this People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, of which I am a member, are incredibly proud to see how our Guyanese brothers and sisters have distinguished themselves all across the USA and all across the world,” the minister said.
The minister, meanwhile, also assured the Diaspora that Government has continuously been transforming Guyana at a rapid pace, noting that many of those in the diaspora have already visited and witnessed this transformation for themselves. He urged others in the diaspora to follow suit and witness the transformation for themselves.
“You have seen how the face of our country is being transformed. You have seen the new opportunities that are being created, you have seen how the faces of your villages are being changed and being improved.”
“We know that many of you have established very strong roots where you now live but as Guyana does well, we want to see you visiting that home more often and returning to Guyana, because no matter how strong roots you have established elsewhere, Guyana will still always be your home too.” Dr Singh assured the Diaspora.
According to information from a 2023 Statistical report from Guyana Tourism Authority, most of the visitors that entered the country last year (55 per cent) were not members of the diaspora. This is even as there has been an overall increase in visitors to Guyana.
According to the Guyana Statistical Digest, in 2023, Guyana experienced an 11 per cent increase in visitors entering the country when compared to the previous year. Last year the country welcomed a total of 319,147 tourists through various ports. Notably, only 45% (144,307) of those arrivals were diaspora visitors, while 55% (174,840) were from its non-diaspora group.
The statistical report highlighted that most of the non-Guyanese visitors had travelled from the United States and the Caribbean, with 44,704 and 71,305 visitors respectfully. Meanwhile, the largest contingents of Guyanese diaspora travellers hailed from the United States (105,158) and Canada (19,851).
The government has been making deliberate efforts to encourage the diaspora to not only visit, but also invest in Guyana. Only this year, it was announced that the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Diaspora Unit would be partnering with Guyana’s first indigenous company to offer Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions to create a platform that will better enable members of the Diaspora to make enquiries and conduct transactions with governmental agencies.
Data pertaining to integral services such as remigration, housing, investments, documents, and the NIS will be provided to individuals on request. In addition to NIS, persons will also be able to easily access document information from the banking sector; Guyana Elections Commission (GEC); Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA); General Registrar Office (GRO); the Immigration Support Service Agency and the Passport Office.