Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh was briefed on Wednesday by a Canadian team on the current status of that country’s Caribbean Regional Programme which consists of a package of assistance valued at Cdn$600 million for the region over a period of 10 years, commencing in 2008 and ending 2018.
These funds will be used to provide support for programmes and projects which will be implemented throughout the Caribbean region, including Guyana and will be designed to pursue agreed objectives, including the stimulation of higher levels of economic growth, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
Singh, GINA said, stressed the importance of ensuring that these valuable and scarce resources are used optimally, especially given the current global economic context.
He also emphasised the promotion of development by supporting poverty alleviating programmes throughout the region in a manner that would positively transform the lives of people, particularly the most vulnerable.
The finance minister at the time was meeting a high-level team from Canada at the Ministry of Finance. The Canadian team was led by Jamal Khokhar, Regional Director General of the Americas, Directorate of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and included Dr Paul McGinnis, Director of the Caribbean Programme; Douglas Williams, CIDA’s Head of Aid in Barbados and Canada’s Director on the Board of Directors of the CDB, and Brett Maitland, CIDA’s Head of Aid in Guyana.
Singh welcomed Khokhar and his team and acknowledged the excellent longstanding relationship shared by Guyana and Canada. He also conveyed the appreciation of the government and people of Guyana for the invaluable support provided by Canada to Guyana over the years.
The visiting team was also apprised of recent developments in the country, including the global advocacy led by President Bharrat Jagdeo on the subject of climate change and the contribution of avoided deforestation in the fight against climate change.
Singh also cited examples of projects that benefited from Canadian support, such as those executed through the Basic Needs Trust Fund, which had a favourable impact on the communities in which they were implemented.
Khokhar indicated that Canada’s intervention in the region was intended to produce immediate results in the context of the recent global developments. According to GINA, he also provided assurance of Canada’s continued support for the regional financial and developmental institutions, including the Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, and Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC).
